Brightest In Shadow
by AthanMortis
Summary: Harry Potter always had horrible luck. Now he's going to see how he fares when that luck leads him to worlds he never imagined he would see...
1. Welcome To

**_I do not own anything you recognize as belonging to other people. I won't be repeating this, as once should be enough._**

* * *

Harry Potter grunted with exertion as he pushed himself up off of the ground during his morning workout.

It had been three weeks since the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. Three weeks since Sirius had died, and Harry was still trying to work through it.

At first, he had passed the days simply lying in bed, staring at the wall or ceiling, depressed. But he'd later forced himself into doing something to take his mind off of it. And that something, at the moment, was exercise.

At the time he had been too flooded by adrenaline to notice it, but by the end of the battle, after it had faded from his system, his body had been screaming at him due to all the activity he had put it through in so short a time. Not that he had been too concerned about it when he did notice. He had other things on his mind, after all.

Since then, though, he had thought about what had happened. His mind had been plagued with what ifs. He understood, at least intellectually, that he did not hold all the blame for what happened to Sirius. He definitely deserved some of the blame, no matter what Hermione said in her letters, but not all of it. Still, his thinking about the possibilities of the battle had led to him trying to improve his physical fitness. After all, if he'd been faster, or more quick to react, things might have gone differently. And not just with Sirius. Hermione had almost died as well, after all. As it was, she was still taking potions to help deal with the aftereffects.

"98, 99, 100." He said, finishing his pushups before immediately rolling over to perform sit ups.

One thing that had surprisingly changed for the better was his relationship with Dudley. He didn't know what happened to him exactly, but it looked like the Dementor attack the previous year had shaken something loose in him. He was much nicer to Harry now, to his parents' horror. He had actually helped him put together an exercise routine using what he'd learned from his boxing.

The exercise wasn't the only thing Dudley helped with, though. Understanding that Harry needed something to keep his mind occupied, if not exactly why, he had introduced him to the wide world of non-magical pop culture. From anime to comics to video games to movies, Dudley had done his best to get Harry into as much of it as possible. He'd even gotten Harry into Warhammer 40K, which Harry actually found somewhat comforting. It was nice to know there was a reality that had it worse than his.

"42, 43, 44…"

Harry had actually come at Dudley's pop culture lessons from a different angle even as he enjoyed them. Mainly, he wondered if there was any way to adapt some of the abilities or weapons he saw to his use magically. Some of them would be very helpful the next time he met with Voldemort, after all. The only problem with that is that he couldn't experiment thanks to the Underage Sorcery laws. And doing other things, like trying to eat fire or electricity, didn't seem viable without someone around to help in case things went wrong. Which, knowing his luck, they would.

There was one thing that he knew he got out of it all though: ideas for transfiguration. He smirked somewhat darkly at the thought of transfiguring assorted objects into xenomorphs and setting them on hapless Death Eaters. He'd need some practice to make something like that possible, but it sounded worth it.

"79, 80, 81…"

Perhaps he could conjure a bolter to use? Or at least a regular gun. Not exactly legal, but it could be useful. Although he was sure Hermione had given him some reason why that wasn't really viable. Possible the complexity of all the different parts working together, along with the chemicals in each bullet's powder that would need to be created as well? Oh well.

One thing Harry had noticed was the fact that his thoughts weren't exactly, well, all that nice, anymore. Sirius' death had driven home the fact that Harry was now in a war like not even Cedric's had. And that stupid prophecy Dumbledore had revealed to him at the end hadn't helped matters. Hearing that he'd have to kill or be killed was sobering. So Harry no longer thought of the best ways to stun and immobilize his opponents as much anymore. He'd seen how ineffective that had been during the battle at the Department of Mysteries. He focused more on putting his opponents down permanently, as that way they couldn't get back up to hurt him and what few loved ones he had as easily.

"99, 100." He gasped before laying back on the floor, breathing heavily. A few minutes later he got up and wiped his face and bare chest with a towel before looking down to examine himself.

He'd always been rather skinny, and even though the large, filling meals at Hogwarts had helped remedy that a bit they had been counteracted by the Quidditch practice he did. Now though, despite only a few weeks of exercise, he was getting some definition. He had a theory that his magic was helping his progress along by maximizing the gains he made as much as possible, though he had no proof. Whatever the reason, he was grateful. It would undoubtedly be helpful in the future.

Harry pulled on a shirt after another wipe with the towel and headed downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink and a snack. As he got there and started making himself a sandwich he heard the sound of the news going in the living room.

"…And in other news, the Justice League helped with disaster relief efforts after a 7.9 earthquake struck Peru. Many people were freed from rubble thanks to their assisting the Peruvian government's military."

Uncle Vernon scoffed at that. "Justice League, pah. Bunch of weirdoes. I tell you, Pet, I have no doubt they cause more problems than they solve. World would be better off without 'em. We'd have less supervillains that way, too."

Harry rolled his eyes as he put away the mayo. Vernon had never liked the Justice League, or the other superheroes around the world, for the same reason he hated magicals. They were different than him, and that just couldn't be allowed.

Harry sat down and ate his sandwich as he listened to the news report continue talking about other superhero activity, thinking. Perhaps contacting the Justice League for assistance with Voldemort would help? The magical world would no doubt be horrified by the thought, but Harry wasn't stupid. He had no doubt the League was aware of them. They did, after all, have several magic based heroes, even if said heroes used different types of magic than what he was aware of.

He sat back, pondering the idea. It could work. Maybe that was the Power the Dark Lord Knew Not from the prophecy? Common bloody sense? He snorted at the thought. It wouldn't surprise him. Hermione herself had said that the average magical didn't have any, all the way back in first year, and he'd seen more than enough evidence of that fact throughout the years.

As he was finishing his snack Dudley walked into the kitchen, nodding at Harry as he got a protein drink from the fridge. "Morning, Harry. Finish your workout?"

Harry nodded as he sipped his orange juice. "Yeah. It's getting easier. Think I'll need to increase the amounts again soon."

Dudley shook his head. "It's not fair, you know? I wish I could get results as quickly as you do." He glowered slightly at Harry's playful smirk. "Asshole…" He muttered. "What have you got planned for today, anyway?"

Harry groaned slightly. "As much as I want to watch the next Game of Thrones episode online, I need to get started on my summer homework. I've been neglecting it."

Dudley sat down, looking interested. Harry absently noted that it was a measure of how far Dudley had come that the chairs no longer groaned alarmingly when he did so. "Anything interesting?" The larger teen asked.

Harry shrugged. "Not really, at least to me. Hagrid…" He ignored Dudley's slight flinch at the name. He was still slightly traumatized by his first meeting the gentle giant. "…didn't give us homework for Care of Magical Creatures. Transfiguration is going to be tedious. It's all about the rules of conjuration, since we'll start studying it this year. Honestly, the worst one is going to be Potions. All about the safe uses of venomous plants in various potions."

Dudley nodded sympathetically. He didn't really understand, of course, but he got the gist. "Think it'll take you long?"

Harry shrugged. "If I focus just on it all I should get it all done by the end of the week. Then I can do other things."

Dudley smirked. "Like trying to give yourself super strength again?"

Harry scowled. "I thought we agreed never to bring that up again. That chair was perfectly fine after we used some duct tape on it. Besides, it worked… sorta." Dudley's snort showed what he thought of that. Harry grumbled to himself about irritating cousins as he got up and cleaned his dishes.

He was about to head upstairs when Vernon appeared at the door of the kitchen. "Dudley, boy, into the living room, both of you." And he stomped back away. The boys shared mystified looks before complying.

When they arrived Petunia was pursing her lips tightly as Vernon stood in the middle of the room. Dudley went and took a seat besides his mother while Harry remained standing, arms folded and eyeing Vernon warily.

Harry and Vernon had endured significant friction during this summer. After the warning Harry's friends had delivered when he'd gotten off the Hogwarts Express, Vernon had been furious, partly as a way to deal with his fear. Said fear was part of the reason he didn't fully take it out on Harry. The other part was the simple fact that Harry refused to take any of Vernon's shit anymore. After everything he had gone through during his years at Hogwarts, especially the most recent one, he saw no reason to fear a blustering muggle like Vernon Dursley like he had as a child.

So things had been tense in the Dursley household because of this. The teens had ignored it as much as possible while Dudley educated Harry, but it was always there, in the background. The fact that Dudley was even spending time with Harry had no doubt made things worse.

Vernon cleared his throat as he puffed up. "I've got good news Petunia, Dudley. I have been selected by Grunnings to be an ambassador of sorts to a company in Spain they are working on a possible merger with. That means that the three of us will be leaving to stay there for the next month."

Harry was surprised by Vernon's apparent enthusiasm about this. Being a xenophobe Harry would have expected him to sound horrified by the idea of having to live in a country that didn't even speak English. Then again, he figured it was in part Uncle Vernon's greed and ambition showing. This position was obviously a prestigious one, and could potentially open the door to more if he made a good showing.

The fact that it would get the family away from Harry was a rather obvious bonus as well, as it was painfully obvious they wouldn't be bringing him along for any reason.

Indeed, Vernon turned to look at Harry with a nasty look on his face (not that most looks weren't nasty on the walrus). "We leave in a week, and I expect you to be gone by then, or shortly thereafter. I don't want you in this house on your own for any amount of time. God knows what you'd end up doing."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Trust me, I was already seeing about getting out of here. I was told that they'd come pick me up in a week and a half."

Vernon eyed him before nodding. "That will have to do. But I'm telling you now, boy, a single thing out of place, and no amount of freak threats will save you."

Harry turned away to head upstairs. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say." And he left, waving away Vernon's threats.

* * *

Nine days had passed, and the Dursleys had left for their trip to Spain without incident. Dudley had provided Harry with his passwords so he could get on the computer to continue watching and reading what he wanted, which Harry used gratefully. After all, he'd lose access to everything once he was back in the magical world, something he wasn't looking forward to. He wished he could take a laptop with him to Hogwarts so he could keep up, instead of having to wait till next year and catch up on everything then.

Harry had just gotten back from a run around the neighborhood when he was interrupted by a voice in the hedges. "Wotcher Harry."

He turned, hand in his pocket for his wand, before he recognized the voice. "Tonks? What are you doing here?"

A head appeared in the bushes, obviously from under an invisibility cloak. She had mousy brown hair instead of her habitual pink, but it was unmistakably Tonks. "What do you think? My turn to watch you. First time in ages, too." She gave him a slightly tired smile. "You're looking good. The exercise is working for you."

Harry, however, was frowning. "I'm still being watched?"

Tonks rolled her eyes. "Of course you are, Harry. After the battle at the Ministry nobody was keen on leaving you unguarded. I shouldn't have let you know I'm here, mind, but I'm bored out of my skull. Besides, you look like you could use some company."

Harry sighed but nodded. "Alright, you might as well come inside so I don't look mad talking to a bush." He led her to the house after she had put the cloak back over her head. She took it off shortly after entering and stretched, pushing out her chest in a way that Harry really couldn't help but notice seeing as she was wearing a rather tight Weird Sisters t-shirt.

"Ah, good to get out from under that stuffy thing." Tonks walked after him as he headed to the kitchen, getting them each a glass of water, which he drank from heavily. "So…" Tonks smiled gently. "How have you been, Harry?"

Harry rubbed his eyes, feeling tired all of a sudden. He had expected a conversation like this eventually, but not so soon, and he had no real idea of what to say. "What do you want me to say, Tonks? That I'm fine? It's been just about a month, and I've spent it either moping or distracting myself with exercise and video games."

Tonks nodded sympathetically. "I miss him too, Harry." She sat back and watched him. "Sirius was my favorite family member when I was little, you know? When he got locked up I couldn't understand why my cousin Padfoot wasn't around to play with me anymore. As I grew older I began to resent him for betraying me and my mum, and wanted to become an Auror to stop bad guys partly because of it. Though I do like helping people." She smiled. "I was overjoyed when I found out he had been innocent all this time. I spent as much time around him as possible, to make up for lost time." She gave a tired sigh. "Seeing him die in the Ministry…"

Harry felt his heart sink. Somehow, selfishly, he hadn't really considered what the others who were close to Sirius were going through all that much. How was Remus dealing with it, he wondered? How was he dealing with losing his brother in all but blood once again, this time for good?

"I'm… I'm sorry, Tonks." Harry said, quietly. "If I hadn't gone to the Department of Mysteries…"

Tonks quickly help up a hand to stop him. "Stop right there, Harry. You did what you thought was right to help somebody you loved. You were working on incomplete information on a time constraint with lives on the line. Trust me, full training as an Auror couldn't have helped you deal with it much better. The fact that Sirius was the only one to die is, I hear, in large part to your leadership and the previous training you gave your friends." She gave him a rather fierce look. "If you have to blame somebody, blame the bastards who put you in that position in the first place. And learn from it, so it doesn't happen again."

Harry nodded slowly and gave her a tentative smile, which she returned.

Their moment was interrupted by a heavy feeling in the air making itself known. Tonks jumped, the chair she was sitting in toppling backwards as she looked around wildly. Harry got up as well, wand already in hand. "Tonks?"

The Auror waved her wand with a short incantation under her breath and cursed. "Somebody's just set up a bunch of wards. Anti-apparition and anti-portkey mainly." She looked at him seriously. "Seems like we're under attack."

Harry scowled. "Of course we bloody are." He made his way upstairs, Tonks following. "Let's grab my stuff. Maybe we can fly out of here." Tonks nodded in agreement. He quickly threw his things into his trunk, including Hedwig's cage (she was currently out delivering letters to Ron and Hermione). Tonks tapped the trunk and shrunk it, grabbing it and slipping it in one of her pockets as Harry grabbed his Firebolt, getting ready to leave. To his consternation, however, the broom didn't react, remaining inert in his hands. "What the hell?" He mounted it and tried again, but the broom wouldn't lift.

"Dammit, they set up an anti-broom ward too." Tonks said angrily. "They're not used often and are not well known. Mainly used by law enforcement to make sure nobody can fly away from a raid the way we were just trying to. We need to get out of range of the wards if we want to get away. Come on." She led the way downstairs, heading for the front door, only to almost get a spell to the head when she opened it. She yelped as the orangish light barely missed her and slammed the door shut. "Okay, we aren't getting out that way…"

Harry carefully made his way to the kitchen window. From there he could see at least fifteen black robed, masked figures making their way closer to the house. For a wild moment, he wondered what the neighbors thought of what was going on. Then he had to duck back as a Death Eater spotted him and launched a spell at him, breaking the window with a crash.

The Death Eaters formed a perimeter in front of the house, and Harry wondered what they were waiting for. It was obvious Voldemort wasn't around, as his scar didn't hurt. He wondered why that was. Surely Voldemort would want to be there when they finally got Harry, wouldn't he?

His question was answered when said madman suddenly showed up with a pop, bringing with him a wave of pain into Harry's scar. He kept focused though in spite of it.

Tonks entered the room and glanced through the window, grimacing with her face more than a little pale. They were both aware these weren't good odds. She briefly took his hand in reassurance, whether for him or herself they were both uncertain, then whispered. "I have an emergency portkey to the Burrow, Harry. We need to get out from under the wards. A distraction or something would be very helpful."

Before Harry could reply they heard Voldemort's cold, high voice call out from out in front in a mock genial tone. "Hello there, Harry. I figured I'd come and visit. It has been about a month since we last saw each other, after all. Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Harry made his way to the front window and called back while hiding behind the wall. "I'm afraid you've come at a bad time, Tom. I don't have any tea prepared, and besides, I was entertaining a cute and charming young woman. Why don't you take your pets and come back another day, and I'll have everything prepared for you then? Sound good?"

"I'm afraid I must insist." The dark lord said. "Don't worry about your lady friend. We'll make sure to keep her properly entertained while you and I… talk."

"That's still a no, Tom. Please don't insist further, or I might have to get… unpleasant." Harry finished grimly.

One of the Death Eaters scoffed. "And what do you think you can do to us, boy?"

Unnoticed by anybody outside thanks to the curtains, harry had transfigured one of Aunt Petunia's baubles into a long, sharp stake of metal and set it on the windowsill. As Tonks watched curiously nearby, Harry aimed it at the cocky Death Eater and suddenly banished it at him at high speed. Before the blowhard could react he had a large, pointy bit of metal sticking out of his chest, piercing one his lungs. He went down with a wet gurgle, flailing with blood coming out of his mouth.

Most of the Death Eaters took startled steps back, away from the dying man on the ground, and Tonks stared at Harry in shock as he looked out stone faced.

Voldemort looked at his dying servant then back at the house. "I admit myself surprised, Harry. I thought you'd be using stunners and body binds like that old fool would want."

"Well you and your pet psychos have pissed me off lately, Tom. I'm not feeling very merciful at the moment." Harry bit out. "Besides, my first priority is getting out of here with my friend intact. You assholes being alive kinda gets in the way of that."

"Aww, is poor ickle baby Potter angry? Could he be missing is godfather? Poor little Potter. Why don't you come out and let me make it all better?" Came a sickly sweet voice in a mocking tone.

Harry grit his teeth, and with a glance back at Tonks he saw that he wasn't the only one angry at the mere sound of that voice. "Glad you could come, Bellatrix! I'm looking forward to removing your head." He snarled out viciously.

They heard her laugh, but no response came. Harry glanced out and his eyes widened. He grabbed Tonks and, before she could say anything, dropped to the ground. A bare second after doing so, jets of light in all colors blasted through the windows and walls, crisscrossing the room. Harry and Tonks huddled on the ground as debris fell on top of them. The two slowly looked at each other as the barrage of spellfire stopped. Harry brought a finger up to his lips for silence, and Tonks nodded. They both got up off the floor and made their way to the kitchen, keeping low so they wouldn't be noticed.

"I hope that didn't take you out, Harry!" Voldemort called. "I'd be disappointed if that was all it took."

Harry got the knives out of the block and set them on the now rather battered table. Tonks silently aimed her wand at them and they quivered before launching out the window. There were cries from outside as the Death Eaters were harassed by the flying knives, small explosions sounding as the knives were destroyed. But they had bought the defenders time.

Harry went into the back and grabbed a propane tank Vernon kept for the rare times he grilled. He caught Tonks' eye and nodded to the tank. It took the Auror a moment to catch on, but then her eyes widened and she nodded. Harry levitated the tank and launched it out the living room window at a group of Death Eaters. Tonks followed it up with a cry of "Bombarda!". The spell slammed into the tank mere feet from the Death Eaters and it exploded with a mighty 'BOOM'.

The Death Eaters were sent flying, cries cut short as they slammed into the ground. Some were groaning and whimpering. Some weren't moving at all.

A moment later, another barrage of spells was launched at the house. Harry threw himself to the ground once more, Tonks beating him to it by a second. Harry grit his teeth. They were making progress, but soon enough Voldemort was going to get tired of playing around and simply send the house up in flames or something. They needed to get out and make a run for it now.

He turned to Tonks… and his heart almost stopped. Tonks' face was covered in blood as she lay on the ground, and Harry was sure she was dead. He felt something in him roar with agony and rage. No! Not another one! Not another person dead because of him!

Bellatrix's laughter rang out again, and Harry's pain was consumed by his rage. He wanted to stop her. He wanted to end the evil bitch who had tormented him. First Neville's parents, then Sirius, now Tonks. And who knew how many others. It had to stop. He looked up and caught sight of the dining room table. Barely thinking about it, he raised his wand at it and focused.

Normally he'd never be able to do what he was about to do. He was too young, too inexperienced. But he was in a state of high emotion, his magic was buzzing beneath his skin, and all his focus was on what was coming next.

Outside, the Death Eaters stopped casting. They stayed still for several moments before Bellatrix sauntered over to one of the windows with a smirk. She opened her mouth to call out a taunt when she, and the other Death Eaters, froze. An odd noise had come from the house. A sort of rattling hiss.

Bellatrix was in the process of raising her wand when something launched itself through the window, the wall around it bursting out to make way. The black shape pounced on Bellatrix, bearing her to the ground, and everybody got a look at it.

It was a nightmare given form. It was black and shiny and long and quite simply _wrong_. It had a long, smooth head that swept backwards with no visible eyes and disturbingly humanlike, metallic looking teeth. Its limbs were long and spindly, ending in talons. It had a long tail like a bony whip that glided around with surprising grace.

Bellatrix stared, wide eyed, at the monster's face as it bent low over her, seemingly staring back. It gave another hiss before its mouth opened, revealing another, smaller mouth inside. Bellatrix finally got over her shock and screamed. A scream which was cut off abruptly as the smaller mouth shot out to stab through the madwoman's face and into her brain, killing her.

This seemed to finally snap everybody else out of their horrified trances and they cried out, raising their wands to attack. The creature looked up before loping forward with unnatural grace to attack the closest Death Eater, who flung spells at it in desperation. The black thing dodged almost every shot, and those it didn't it ignored. It jumped on the hapless Death Eater as a cutting curse from another hit the creature in the shoulder, making it bleed. This just seemed to make things worse, as the yellow blood fell on its prey, making him shriek with pain as it started eating through him.

Inside the house Harry was panting after the Master's level transfiguration he had just performed, sweat beading his forehead.

"Wow…" came a soft voice beside him. Harry whipped his head around to stare at Tonks, who was looking out the destroyed window with wide eyes. She turned to Harry. "An alien, Harry? Really?"

Harry's mouth worked without his conscious input. "It's technically called a xenomorph, actually." Then his mind caught up with what was going on. "You're… you're alive?"

Tonks wiped the blood covering her face off, revealing a shallow gash on her forehead. "I'm fine." She smiled at him.

Harry slumped slightly, almost sobbing with relief. Then he swallowed it down and got up. "Come on, we should get moving while they're distracted." Tonks nodded and got up as well, following after him out the back door. The two ignored the ongoing screams and screeches coming from the front of the house as they ran, trying to find the edge of the wards.

Tonks handed Harry a pendant with the image of a phoenix on it. "This is the portkey. When we get to the end of the wards say 'Burrowing' and it will activate."

"What about you?" Harry asked.

"I can apparate, Harry. Since you can't, it's best you keep a hold of it."

They'd made it some distance from the house when the light of a spell shot between them, narrowly missing Harry. They turned to see Voldemort leading his followers after them, launching spells at the fleeing duo. They both noticed there were a lot less Death Eaters than before.

In desperation Tonks waved her wand, and her face split in a grin. "Harry! We're at the edge of the wards! Use it!"

Harry smiled in relief and held up the pendant. "Burr-!" He began, but was interrupted. A malicious looking brown spell came flying and impacted against the pendant, shattering it in Harry's hand.

There was a high pitched, screeching sound as a burst of energy began to emanate from the remains of the pendant. Tonks watched in horror as the energy seemed to consume Harry as he cried out in fear and pain. Once it had a hold of him it began to shrink, dragging him along, before it disappeared, leaving nothing behind.

Tonks stood, staring at the spot where Harry had been standing, before a curse almost hit her, snapping her out of it. She quickly disapparated away, as right now the only thing she could do was get to the Burrow and see if Harry had made it.

* * *

Tonks reappeared outside of the Burrow, panting and shaking. It was a miracle she'd made it without splinching herself. She had to thank her Combat Apparition courses in the Auror Academy for that. She stumbled forward, making her way towards the house, keeping her eyes peeled for any sign that Harry had made it.

The Weasley kids, plus Hermione, were all outside, the boys and Ginny flying around while Hermione sat and read a heavy looking book, as per usual. Hermione sighed and lifted her head to stretch a bit before catching sight of Tonks. "Tonks?" She said, confused. She got up and made her way towards the Auror, wondering what she was doing there when she should be watching Harry. She gasped when she got close enough to see Tonks' dirty, damaged clothes and blood covered face. "TONKS!" She shrieked, rushing forward towards the older woman.

Her cry had attracted the attention of the others, who quickly swooped down around her, eyes wide. Tonks merely looked around at them. "Where's Harry?" She asked.

"We should be asking you that!" Ron exclaimed, his face pale as he took in the state she was in. He turned to Ginny. "Ginny, go get mum. Tell her to contact the Order. And tell her that we might need a healer."

As the Weasley girl zoomed off to do as told, Tonks grit her teeth. "Harry isn't here? You're sure?"

Fred was the one to answer her. "Pretty sure. We haven't seen him."

"Dammit all, he should have been here before me if the portkey was working right." She growled as Mrs. Weasley came rushing out of the house.

"Tonks! Are you alright!? Where's Harry!?" The Weasley matriarch asked worriedly.

"I'm… I'm fine." Tonks said, wiping away more blood that was getting into her eye. "I gave Harry the portkey to the Burrow, but something went wrong."

"What happened?" Hermione asked, worriedly.

"We were attacked." Tonks said shortly. "You-Know-Who was there along with over a dozen Death Eaters. We held them off for a bit before Harry did some really impressive magic, which distracted them enough for us to make a run for it."

Everybody around her was wide eyed. Mrs. Weasley gently took Tonks by the elbow and led her into the house. "Come along inside and sit so we can get that cut looked at. I contacted Albus and he should be here soon. You can explain further then."

Tonks nodded, sagging as the adrenaline started to leave her system. She walked into the kitchen and sat at the table as Mrs. Weasley grabbed a wet rag and started cleaning her face gently while the kids stood around anxiously.

Barely a minute later the sound of the fireplace flaring up and people coming through was heard, and Dumbledore appeared at the kitchen door. "Molly, what is the…" He stopped as he caught sight of Tonks. "Nymphadora? What happened?"

For once, Tonks didn't chew out the aged Headmaster for using her first name. She looked up as Moody came in behind Dumbledore, magic eye spinning around crazily. "Harry's house was attacked by You-Know-Who, Professor. I barely made it out. Harry should have been here before me. Something seems to have gone wrong with the portkey though."

Dumbledore's face became grave. "I will summon the Order, and you can give us a full report then. Alastor, go to Hogwarts and get Poppy so she can come and check on Nymphadora. I will go to my office and see if I can't get a start on locating Harry. We'll meet back her for the meeting in a half hour." Moody nodded and thumped his way back to the fireplace. He turned to the others in the kitchen. "I trust you will look after Nymphadora till we return?" As everybody replied in the affirmative he nodded and quickly made his way out.

* * *

Half an hour later, most of the Order of the Phoenix was gathered in the Weasley home. Mrs. Weasley had tried to keep the children out of the meeting, but as it involved Harry and what had happened to him they were having none of it, and thus were allowed to attend.

"Welcome everyone, thank you for attending on such short notice." Dumbledore said, beginning the meeting. "I'm afraid the reason for this meeting is not a good one. I will let Nymphadora explain what happened. Nymphadora, if you please?"

Tonks got up, eyeing Dumbledore with displeasure, but it was not lost on anybody that she didn't snark back. More than one person got worried. Her clothes were still dirty and damaged, but her face was otherwise clean and free of wounds.

Tonks looked at everybody gathered, and felt very small, especially under the gaze of Remus and Harry's friends. The weight of her failure was sinking in, and it took all she had not to run to try and get away from it.

"Earlier today I was with Harry in his kitchen, talking about… things." She began, noting that people were frowning at the fact that she had been with him rather than watching from under the invisibility cloak like she was supposed to. She cleared her throat. "Suddenly we were struck by a sensation of heaviness in the air. Still don't know what that was, but when I checked we were under anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards. We got Harry's things to try and use his broom to escape." She blinked as a thought struck her. Everybody watched as she rooted around in her pockets and pulled out Harry's shrunken trunk. "Forgot I had this…" She muttered, staring at it.

When Dumbledore cleared his throat she shook herself out of her thoughts and passed the trunk to him. "Should probably give that to Ron and Hermione to look after…" She took a deep breath before continuing. "Unfortunately, when we tried, the broom wouldn't respond. I'm assuming that they were using an anti-broom ward as well. We tried to get out of the house to make a break for the edge of the wards, but they had already surrounded the house and almost got me with a spell. Didn't get an accurate count, but there were at least fifteen Death Eaters there."

Everybody started murmuring to each other at that information. They didn't see how Tonks got out with those odds, especially not when she had to look after Harry.

"That's when You-Know-Who showed up." Tonks continued after taking a small sip of water. The murmuring got louder, but she spoke over it. "Harry and him bantered a bit when some Death eater I didn't know ran his mouth." She hesitated, knowing the next part wasn't going to go over well. "Harry promptly banished a metal stake into his chest. Pretty sure it punctured a lung, considering the gurgling cries."

People gasped and looked at each other in disbelief. Harry? Use lethal force? Dumbledore looked older than anybody had seen him since Sirius' death, and Molly had a hand to her mouth in horror. The kids, oddly enough, didn't look as surprised as the adults. They were definitely surprised, but it was tempered by resignation. Tonks wondered idly what that meant.

"B-But Harry wouldn't do that!" Molly said, still in shock.

Tonks shook her head. "Harry told You-Know-Who he wasn't feeling very merciful after recent events, and that his first priority was to get us out of there alive, which the Death Eater's continued breathing worked against."

Moddy nodded. "Don't like lethal force myself, but when it's a you versus them situation sometimes there's no choice. Potter made the right call in that situation. Stunners wouldn't have helped. Good instincts, that one." Kingsley, standing in the back, nodded in agreement.

"Well, they didn't take kindly to that." Tonks said once everybody had calmed down. "They launched a barrage of spells. Heavy duty ones, too, cause they punched right through the walls. Me and Harry had to huddle on the ground to keep from getting hit. When it was over we headed to the kitchen where I enchanted some knives to go out and harass them, buy us time. Then we launched a big propane tank outside before hitting it with a blaster, making it explode. That must have taken out at least five of them, some permanently." The others gave each other grim looks at hearing about more deaths caused by Harry and Tonks, but nobody said anything. "That seemed to make them angry, because they attacked again, driving us back to the floor. I blacked out for a second. Bit of debris got me in the head." She rubbed the place where her head wound had been as the others looked concerned. "Was fine though. Was only out for a few seconds, as far as I could tell. Seemed to piss Harry off though, considering what happened next."

Ginny, on the edge of her seat, was the one to ask what everybody was wondering. "What did he do, Tonks?"

She looked at them, face hard. "He transfigured the kitchen table into an alien."

McGonagall looked confused, and she wasn't the only one. Hermione was less so, but she needed clarification. "What kind, Tonks?"

Tonks looked at Hermione. "An alien. From the movie, Alien. Or Aliens."

Hermione's face became one of horrified comprehension. "A xenomorph?" She whispered quietly.

Tonks nodded. "That's what he called it, yeah." She shuddered. "As if that thing hadn't already haunted my nightmares the first time I saw the movies…"

Ron prodded Hermione, confused. "What are you talking about? What's a xeno-whatever?"

Hermione bit her lip as she saw that everybody's attention was on her now. "A xenomorph, Ron, is probably one of the most horrifying monsters to ever come out of somebody's imagination. Even Hagrid wouldn't want one." She smiled grimly at everybody's looks of disbelief. "It's a creature that's incredibly fast and agile, not to mention strong, is a perfect hunter, has great senses, a very potent acid for blood, and a secondary mouth that it uses to attack, sending it out with enough force to crack a man's skull open like a rotten egg. It is terrifying, not only in its capabilities, but in its looks." She shuddered. "A single one could stalk a group of experienced, well equipped soldiers easily, taking them out one by one. A group, with one of their queens, could end life on the entire planet unless the place they were located was destroyed. By a nuke."

Everyone in the room looked at each other uneasily at the description of the thing Harry had created to fight for him.

Tonks nodded. "Well, as far as I could tell, this one had all of those characteristics. It launched itself out and killed Bellatrix Lestrange immediately. Heard her scream as it did her in. Then it went wild among the rest." Tonks rubbed her arms, as though chilled. Thinking back on it, it had been scary. Even though she knew it wouldn't attack her, as it was Harry's creation, being so near a creature that was practically made out of nightmares terrified her.

At that bit of news more than one person sat up. It was Remus that spoke, voice a low growl. "Is that true? Bellatrix is dead?" At Tonks' nod he sat back, looking satisfied. "Good. Couldn't happen to a more deserving person." Everybody knew that Remus was thinking about the fact that she was the one to kill Sirius. Hearing she was dead was a relief to everybody though.

"Anyway…" Tonks resumed her tale. "We used the alien as a distraction to get the hell away. We made it to the edge of the wards. I had given Harry the emergency portkey and he was saying the password for it." She grimaced. This is where things went wrong. "Unfortunately, a spell I don't know hit the portkey right as he was saying it and broke it into pieces. Something went wrong then. Energy began to leave the portkey and consumed Harry. When it disappeared, he was gone. I… I don't know what happened. I apparated here to see if he'd made it. Obviously, he hadn't." She went silent and sat down, head low. Everybody in the room looked stricken and afraid of what could have happened to Harry, and she couldn't help but feel she was being judged for being unable to get him to safety.

Dumbledore stepped forward and looked kindly at Tonks. "You did you best, Nymphadora. It sounds like it was simply bad luck." He addressed the rest of the room. "I myself have begun searching for Harry's whereabouts and will continue to do so until we have an answer. We can only hope he is not in Voldemort's hands."

"The Dark Lord does not have Potter." Came a voice from the door leading out. Snape was standing there, looking rather haggard.

Dumbledore looked relieved. "Good, that is good, Severus. Come, is there any more you can tell us?"

Snape slumped in. "Only that it isn't as good a news as you want. The Dark Lord is quite convinced Potter is dead."

There were many gasps in the room, and Dumbledore's face fell. "Why does he think this, Severus?"

"He can no longer sense Potter through the connection they share. It is as if a thread was snapped. There is nothing at the other end anymore." Snape informed Dumbledore, ignoring the rest of the people around him. "So despite losing a large amount of Death Eaters, including Bellatrix, the Dark Lord considers this day a win."

Dumbledore stood, ashen faced, as the rest of the Order babbled. Molly was in tears, and Harry's friends weren't much better.

Tonks sat there as if petrified, heart feeling like lead. She'd gotten Harry killed. He had been her responsibility, and in the end she failed, and now the nice, if somewhat temperamental, boy was gone. All because of her.

Dumbledore's face had firmed, and he'd extended his wand, letting out a blast of noise to silence everybody. "Thank you. While Severus' news is disturbing, that does not mean Harry is dead. We should first attempt to ascertain the facts for ourselves. I will go to Gringotts tomorrow and see what they say. They have trackers that can tell exactly somebody's status. I will also continue my attempts to locate Harry. Ron, Hermione…" The two teens looked up hopefully. "You send owls to Harry. I dare say Hedwig should be able to locate him as long as he's alive and not under some sort of special ward, especially as she's his familiar. That should at least let us know if he's alright or not." The two looked determined, ready to dash upstairs immediately. "Otherwise I want everybody to keep an eye out for any news of him. Kinglsey, I understand you've been working the scene at Harry's home. See what you can find out there." Kingsley nodded. "Very well. Let us all do our best, and I'm sure that we will find Harry soon enough."

* * *

In the end, however, it was not to be. Hedwig wouldn't leave to look for Harry no matter what Ron and Hermione did. All she did was hoot mournfully and sit on her stand, looking rather dejected. Things got worse when Dumbledore went to Gringotts after fruitlessly trying to locate Harry, only to find, to his dismay and sadness, that all their monitoring devices indicated that Harry Potter was dead. Seeing as these devices were tied directly to his magic, and nothing known could block them, it was rather definitive proof. According to Gringotts' rules, after one month of no change, he would officially be declared dead.

Three weeks after his disappearance, Ron was walking dejectedly by the door to Ginny's room when he heard sobbing. He hesitated, before gently opening the door.

Hermione sat on Ginny's bed with Harry's trunk open on the floor. She had obviously been going through it. She had a piece of parchment clutched in her hand and was sobbing uncontrollably.

Normally Ron would practically run away from a crying girl, not being able to handle them, but he wasn't going to leave Hermione alone in this state. He closed the door carefully and approached. "Hermione, what is it?"

She looked up at him with red, puffy eyes. "R-Ron… I found… I found…" She held out the parchment to him.

Ron took it and looked down before feeling his breath catch and his heart shatter just a little more than it already was.

 _Last Will and Testament of Harry James Potter_

He read through it silently. It left Harry's money to the Weasley family, Ron, Hermione and Remus, with specific amounts set aside for the twins' joke shop. His personal effects were distributed between Ron and Hermione, with Ron getting the Firebolt and the Marauder's Map, and Hermione getting the Invisibility Cloak.

It wasn't lost on Ron that Harry had left Hermione his family heirloom. He could guess what it meant. Normally the thought would send a surge of jealousy through Ron, but now he just felt… empty. Harry's death had forced Ron to reexamine many things.

He sat down next to Hermione and wrapped his arms around her, holding her while she sobbed as tears gathered in his own eyes.

They stayed like that for almost an hour, simply comforting each other in their loss. Then Ron pulled back and grabbed a tissue, handing it to Hermione. "He wouldn't want you crying like this, you know." He said softly.

Hermione smiled bitterly. "There are many things he would and wouldn't want, Ron. So many things I…" She stopped herself, glancing up at Ron apprehensively.

Ron simply smiled, slightly bitterly, back. "What, you think I'm an idiot, Hermione? I know you don't feel for me like you do for him."

Hermione looked away. "I'm sorry Ron… I know, well, after the Yule Ball…"

Ron winced, remembering that unmitigated disaster. "Yeah, I wasn't exactly subtle."

Hermione snorted, a small smile on her face. "No, no you weren't." She sighed. "I won't say I've never thought about, well, us, but when I apply that long term…"

Ron shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. We'd kill each other in a week."

Hermione nodded before looking at Harry's will mournfully. "I should have said something…"

Ron hugged her again. "None of that now. W-what's done is done. All you can do now is live the best you can. For him."

Hermione looked up at him before smiling tearfully and nodding, snuggling against him.

They stayed like that for some time, simply finding comfort in each other.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, stroking Fawkes, who sang sadly to him, while staring at the fire. A great many things weighed on his mind.

Primary was the death of Harry Potter, a boy he viewed as a grandson. He had failed the boy many times before, but this was the greatest of those failures. A young life snuffed out before he'd truly had a chance to live.

Dumbledore sighed softly. That wasn't the greatest thing, tragic as it was. The prophecy loomed upon him. He didn't know what to do now. Harry was gone. That, of course, meant the horcrux in Harry's scar was gone as well, which was the only positive he could think of in this situation.

Now he had to continue working, trying to find the other horcruxes. He had been about to go and try to get the one he'd located when he'd gotten the summons to the Weasleys. Now though, he was going to have to be more careful. He didn't have Harry to fall back on to finish the job. He'd have to see it through to the end himself. Perhaps Alastor would be willing to come with him?

And so Albus Dumbledore sat, and pondered.

* * *

Hermione walked onto the Hogwarts Express at the start of term looking determined. She was going to do as Ron had said and live her life for Harry, and that meant getting the DA back together to make sure they continued their work in his name.

As she and Ron walked through the train people stopped and stared at them. Harry's public funeral had only been held a week ago, and people were still reeling over the news. Hermione scathingly thought about how many of those shocked people had derided Harry as a lunatic just the year before.

A few hours later Hermione was sitting silently with Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna in a compartment of their own. They were all dispirited, but none said anything about it, trying to act normal. That ended when the compartment door opened, allowing in the last person any of them wanted to see.

Draco Malfoy was smirking as he walked in, ignoring their glares. "Hello Weasel, Mudblood. How is Potty. Has he been doing well?" His eyes glinted cruelly as he faked surprise. "Oh, that's right, he finally got himself killed going up against his bett-."

Before Malfoy could finish, every person in the compartment had raised their wands and launched a curse at him. Malfoy was sent flying out into the hallway by the impact of multiple curses, hitting his head against the far wall. Crabbe and Goyle stood there stupidly before backpedaling away from the enraged group.

Ron stepped forward, glaring down at the dazed blonde. "One more word this year, ferret, and you'll be joining your aunt in hell. Your daddy isn't around to save you anymore." And he slammed the door shut.

Everybody sat down and stared at each other before Neville smirked, which turned into a giggle from Ginny, which turned into full blown laughter form all of them, which swiftly turned into tears.

It took them all some time to regain their composure, but when they did they sat comfortably. "So, ready to show everybody we aren't going to be stopped?" Ginny said with a dangerous look.

Everybody smirked and nodded. Luna placed her hand in the middle of the room and looked at them all. "For Harry."

They all looked at each other before smiling and placing their hands on hers. "For Harry!"

* * *

 _(Shortly after the attack on Privet Drive)_

Harry woke up with a groan. He was lying on a cold road and his head was pounding. He got up slowly and looked around. Wherever he was, it was covered in fog, so much so he could barely see ten feet in front of him.

Once he was on his feet he walked forwards a bit only to find what looked like a tunnel blocked up by a large wall. He wondered why that was but moved back, catching sight of a large, dark shape in the mist. As he made his way towards it he saw it was a large sign. He walked around it to see what it said, hoping it'd tell him where he was. He looked up to read the words in large, cheery letters.

 **Welcome To**

 **SILENT HILL**

* * *

 ** _I was going to stop at the point when Tonks escapes, but I really wanted the end of the first chapter to be that reveal._**

 ** _I'm going to be changing the SH lore to fit into what I want, so don't be upset if things don't fit canon like you want them to._**

 ** _This is going to be a multicrossover fic, as you can probably tell from that bit about the Justice League. Yes, Harry will be interacting with them in the future. You'll see._**

 ** _Beyond that though, I'm making this up as I go along. This story definitely doesn't have a plan or endgame. It's just for whatever crazy thing pops into my head. I hope you enjoy the insanity Harry will be part of. He'll be crossing over with many things, some random. Halo? Mass Effect? Game of Thrones? Star Wars? Tolkien? I honestly don't know. We'll see._**

 ** _As for pairings, most likely Multi. I've laid the seeds for Harmony, but there might be others. Haven't decided. Again, we'll see._**

 ** _For those of you wanting an update on Dragon with Demons, I said that would go slowly. I still haven't finished the 4_** ** _th_** ** _LN. Once I do, I'll get to work on it. Dragon is definitely my primary work, while this is something on the side I do in between chapters of that._**

 ** _Hope you enjoyed, and please review._**


	2. Tourist, Trapped

Harry stared at the sign in front of him. Silent Hill? Where the bloody hell was Silent Hill?

He looked around, looking for something else where he might be able to get information. He saw a building across the road he was standing on with a parking lot containing a single car beside it. He shrugged to himself and made his way towards it.

As he approached he was disappointed to find it was only a public restroom. It was doubtful he'd get any answers there. However, he did need to go to the bathroom. He'd been ignoring it because of the situation he was in, but he might as well. So he headed into the men's side.

The lights were off so he flipped the switch, however nothing happened. He sighed before bringing up his wand (which he'd thankfully found he had kept hold of during whatever brought him here) and intoning "Lumos".

He was utterly unprepared for the pain that sent him to the ground, spasming madly. His screams echoed in the dark restroom as he shook on the ground. It only lasted a second or two, but that was enough to leave him utterly helpless for a couple of minutes, recovering on the ground.

"What the fuck was that!?" He panted to himself. Had something happened when he came here? Perhaps an aftereffect of whatever the hell happened with the portkey? There was no way to know, and that meant that he'd have to keep from trying to use magic.

He got up shakily and slowly made his way to the urinals to do what he'd come to do in the first place, squinting in the dark and feeling his way there. It was honestly a miracle that he hadn't emptied his bladder during what had just happened. He didn't fancy running around with soiled trousers wherever he was though.

When he was done he made his way back out to figure out where he could go from there. He couldn't go through the boarded up tunnel into Silent Hill. He glanced around and saw a trail nearby leading into the woods. Well, hopefully it led to a way into town, where he could find a phone and call somebody. He still knew the Grangers' number, though he'd never had a chance to use it. He could see if they could get in contact with Hermione and get her to send somebody to get him. He nodded to himself and headed in that direction. He noted an odd smell from the car as he passed it, but shrugged it off and continued on his way.

The path he walked ran alongside the shore of a lake, the other side lined with trees. Not that he could see much due to the fog. He found it odd, however, how quiet it was. He figured the fog was muffling the sound somehow, but even so, there was almost no noise. He figured there should be at least the sound of insects wandering the woods, but there was nothing. He tried to shake off how eerie it was, but he couldn't help but be apprehensive.

This wariness wasn't helped when he reached the end of the path and found himself near a cemetery. Ever since the events of the Third Task, he'd developed a prominent dislike of such places. Not that he thought anybody could blame him.

He wandered silently among the tombstones, noting that the place didn't look very well cared for. The fog made things far creepier than usual too. It wasn't a large cemetery though and before long he'd made his way to the gates leading out to town and pushed them open.

His brows furrowed in consternation as he looked around at the buildings around him. There was no sound here either. All he could here was his own breathing. The town appeared to be completely abandoned. His heart sank. There was no way there was still a working phone in an abandoned town.

Though, why was the town abandoned? He looked around, and didn't find anything that would indicate a reason. Had something happened? He looked apprehensively at the fog surrounding him. Did this fog have something to do with it? He shivered and began to walk in a random direction, trying to think of what to do.

He was passing what appeared to be the old looking parked car of a town sheriff when he paused and looked at it, getting an idea. He could head to the police station. There might be a radio he could use to call out of the town for help. He smiled at finally having a plan, no matter how tentative, when it promptly dropped. He didn't have the slightest clue where the police station could be.

He approached the parked car. There might be a map of the town or something in it. He tried opening it, but it was locked and wouldn't open. He looked around for something to smash the window open with when he heard a banging sound in a nearby alley, startling him. It was the first sound he'd heard since he arrived.

Hesitantly he made his way into the alley. "Hello? Anybody there?" He asked tentatively. He spotted something moving at the end of the alley. He was nervous, but it was the first sign of life he'd found since he got to Silent Hill, so he needed to investigate. So he slowly and carefully made his way forward before stopping in horror.

In front of him was a humanoid figure, twitching and writhing as it stood on long, thin legs. At first he thought it had no arms, before realizing that if it did they were trapped against its body. Its torso was wrapped in some sort of skin, keeping everything obscured, like a straightjacket of flesh. Its face was smooth except for a wide, gaping mouth, like somebody screaming in torment. Its entire body was colored like an ugly, exposed muscle, with dark veins running all along it and covered in scabs and sores.

Harry stepped back, eyes wide with shock as the figure moved towards him, a low, tortured moan escaping it. "S-stay away!" He cried. The creature ignored him, continuing its stumbling gait towards him. It reared back before throwing its head forward, a dark, foul smelling liquid leaving its mouth, aimed at Harry. It was only thanks to his reflexes and the training he'd done over the summer that he managed to dodge. It was a good thing he did, because as far as he could tell the dark liquid was eating into the ground with a sizzling sound.

He spotted a metal pipe lying against some rubbish and quickly snatched it up. As the thing reared back again he swung the pipe with a cry, bashing it against the horrible monster's head. It overbalanced and fell to the ground, and Harry quickly proceeded to run like hell, pipe still clutched in his hand.

He ran for what seemed like ages but was most likely only a minute before stopping, breathing heavily and heart pounding while his hands shook at what had just happened. He'd never seen or heard of something like what he'd just seen in all his classes at Hogwarts. Was this why the town was abandoned? Because it was full of things like that?

He took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking around, trying to work out where he was. He was standing next to a dark and empty diner, which reminded him that he hadn't eaten anything since that morning. Not that he was very hungry at the moment, but it got him thinking that there surely wouldn't be much in the way of food in an abandoned, monster infested town. He needed to get out before he starved.

He'd just decided to go back the way he came, risking the monster, and head back to the road where he'd appeared, when a voice called out. "Hey, kid, how about you put the pipe down?" He looked around, shocked, to find an attractive blonde woman in her late twenties standing not far away, wearing a police officer's uniform and with her hand on the butt of her holstered revolver.

"Uh…" He looked down at the pipe he was still clutching tightly, then back at the woman. He could understand why she looked wary. He was holding a potentially dangerous weapon for no readily apparent reason. He was hesitant to let it go though. What if there were more monsters? "You haven't seen anything weird, have you?"

The officer eyed him with her blue eyes. "Weird how?"

Harry sighed. If she didn't know what he meant, then he doubted she'd encountered anything. She'd definitely react if she had. "Just… nothing, officer." He set the pipe down, making the woman relax. "Are you with this town's police force?" He asked.

The woman raised an eyebrow and shook her head. "No, I'm not. I'm from a nearby town, Brahms. What are you doing here? Being a daredevil like most kids I have to chase away?"

Harry shook his head. "Uh, no. Would you believe me if I told you I don't know how I ended up here?" She just stared at him. "…Figures. Umm, my name is Harry Potter. What do you mean about chasing kids away? Why would you need to do that?"

"I'm Cybil. Cybil Bennett." The cop said. "And Silent hill has been declared a danger zone. Something in the air which can cause death after prolonged exposure appeared twenty years ago. That's what this fog is supposed to be. It never dissipates. It's even spread to another nearby town, Shepherd's Glen, making that a no-go zone too. So my job involves patrolling the roads and making sure nobody heads toward either town. You wouldn't believe how many kids try it just because."

Harry was more than a bit afraid now. Could whatever is in the air have made that monster? In that case, he needed to get out as soon as possible. "Then why are you here now?"

"I spotted a couple of cars full of people heading this way and followed to get them away. Haven't found anybody though. No clue where they are. You seen them?" Cybil asked. Harry shook his head. She eyed him. "You really don't know how you got here?" Harry shook his head again. "Hmm, not sure I believe that, but if nothing else I need to get you out. I really shouldn't be here myself, but considering the amount of people I saw coming in, I couldn't just let them go with just a report to the station about it as usual. C'mon, let's head to my bike." She turned and started walking down the street. Harry quickly made to follow.

"So whatever is in the air just kills, right? So it killed everybody in this town?" He asked.

Cybil nodded. "Yeah. Both Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen were complete losses. The fog came in the night, so by the time anybody noticed what was going on, it was too late. That's thousands of people, dead."

Something about that made the back of Harry's neck tingle. He responded, speaking slowly as he thought. "Ok, if that many people died…" He looked around in realization. "Then where are all the remains?"

Cybil slowed her pace, looking around as though just realizing the fact that there wasn't a single bone anywhere nearby. "Uh, I-I think the government came in and hauled them away…? Don't remember much about it. It was ages ago…"

Harry wasn't so sure. He was feeling more and more certain that the fog didn't outright kill, and that the thing in the alley was an example of what did happen. Though in that case wouldn't that mean they should be getting swarmed by more of those things? In any case, he didn't think it was a good idea to tell that to a mundane police officer, at least not at the moment. He could see about informing somebody with actual power about what was in the town when he a Cybil got out and he was back home.

"What the hell?" Cybil said, coming to an abrupt halt. Harry looked toward where she was looking and saw a police motorcycle laying on the ground. It was completely trashed, dented and scratched, with a tire missing and the fuel tank punctured.

"I guess we're walking then?" Harry said sardonically. Cybil nodded with a growl of irritation. "Great… Let's get moving then. I don't want to be here any longer than necessary. I'd rather not drop dead…"

"Bossy, aren't you?" Cybil said annoyed, though she obviously agreed with him. "Alright, let's go."

The pair quickly made their way along the road after Cybil grabbed a couple of things from her bike. She led the way to a bridge she said would lead them around onto the highway out of Silent Hill, since the tunnel Harry arrived at was blocked. However, they were both forced to stop when they arrived at it because it was destroyed. There was a short span remaining, then a gaping hole separating both sides of the bridge.

"Oh come on! I just crossed this thing a half hour ago!" Cybil cried out in outrage.

This pretty much confirmed it for Harry. Something else was going on beside a simple airborne poison. He assumed it was in some way magical. It might even be what was keeping him from performing magic. He clenched his fist, wishing he'd kept his pipe. Or had something like Cybil's revolver. Because he was sure that he was going to be encountering another monster sometime soon.

As if that thought was a signal, Harry heard an odd, whistling sound. "Hey, do you hear that?" Harry asked a still cursing Cybil.

Cybil stopped and looked around. "Yeah, I do. What is that?" She glanced up and her eyes widened. "Get down!" She yelled, dropping to the ground. Harry did the same without a second thought and felt the wind of something large flying close by, barely missing him.

He looked up to see what it was and found a large, winged creature soaring overhead. It had large wings and a long, twisted beak. Exceptionally long legs ended in vicious looking talons. Much like the previous creature Harry had seen this one appeared diseased, covered in dark flesh pockmarked with boils and riddled with dark veins.

As he watched it flew further before turning back around, aiming for them, all the while making the same odd, high pitched noise. Cybil quickly drew her gun in desperation and started to shoot. A couple of shots went wide, but three more slammed into the creature, making it drop with a horrible screech. They both got up and Cybil fired a final shot into its head, silencing it. The both stood there, breathing heavily, before Cybil spoke. "What the hell is that thing?"

"I saw something similar before I met you, though it was humanoid. It's why I had that pipe. I don't think the official reason is why this place is declared a danger zone. And if it's spreading, we need to tell somebody, like the Justice League." Harry said in a rush.

Cybil stared hard at Harry. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Harry gave her a raised eyebrow. "Would you have believed me if I had without proof?" He asked sardonically. The way she looked away slightly was enough of an answer. They both froze when they heard another of those flying things approaching. Harry looked around before seeing a nearby sports store with barred windows and an ajar door. "Quickly, in there!" They both ran for the store, legs pumping as they heard the sound of another flier joining in the chase. Harry slammed the door open and, once Cybil rushed in with her weapon raised in case of hostiles inside the store, slammed it shut, managing to lock it just as one of the creatures slammed into it, making it rattle in its frame.

Once Cybil was sure the store was empty she sighed and reloaded her weapon. "Ok, hopefully that'll keep those things out. We can't stay in here though. We need to find a way out of town."

Harry looked around the dark, silent store. He spotted a stand of pocket flashlights and another of batteries. He quickly grabbed a flashlight and, after slipping the batteries in, turned it on, illuminating the inside of the store better. Cybil followed his example and did the same before heading towards the back, looking for a back door.

While she did that, Harry looked around for anything that might be useful. Near the cash register he found some maps of Silent Hill and the surroundings. He quickly grabbed a couple, feeling they would be useful. Then he looked at the glass shelves in the counter to see boxes of ammo for various weapons. He looked around for the guns they belonged to before spotting several rifles and pistols on the wall behind the counter. He vaulted over the counter before picking up a pistol. He lifted it in the firing stance he'd seen in the more realistic shows and games, trying to get a feel for it.

"What are you doing?" Cybil asked, eyeing him disapprovingly as she approached.

Harry scowled slightly. "I can't exactly go around unarmed, Cybil. Who knows what else we'll run into while we're here. I might as well pick something up while I can." He started searching among the ammo boxes for the bullets that went with the gun he'd selected.

Cybil opened her mouth to argue, but no sound came out. She knew he was right. "Alright, fine, but you're letting me teach you how to handle that. Last thing we need is you shooting yourself in the foot." When he nodded agreeably she walked up to him and showed him the best way to hold the gun, the stance to use, how to reload, and basic gun safety. "…And lastly, but most importantly, before you pull the trigger, know what you're shooting. And don't do it unless you have to. And don't go blasting me by mistake, got it?" Harry nodded, grabbing several boxes of ammo and putting them in a bag he'd found. Cybil grabbed some ammo for her own gun, wanting to make sure she'd have plenty. Then they looked up at the rifles on display.

"What do you think? We might as well…" Harry said tentatively. Cybil sighed before nodding, and they both looked for rifles that looked to be in good shape, the cop once more instructing Harry in their usage, and both grabbed some ammo.

Harry made one final run through the store before finally picking up a machete. It was slightly rusty after so long, but it would work well enough in case he was forced to fight in close quarters. Cybil nodded in approval before they made their way into the back, which had a back door into an alley.

Just as Cybil was about to open the door, however, a portable radio sitting nearby began to emit static suddenly, making them both jump. Harry picked it up, looking it over in curiosity, before shrugging at Cybil. She shook her head and turned back to the door, opening it.

A shape lunged at the door as soon as it was opened, slamming it the rest of the way and sending Cybil to the floor. It was another creature, this one a canine. Its entire body looked like it had been burned horribly, and it was wrapped in what looked like bandages made of its own flesh. The most notable feature, however, was the fact that its head was split vertically, each half moving independently of each other, a long, red tongue hanging down between them.

It growled at them, and it sprang at Cybil, who barely managed to roll away from it. Harry quickly brought his machete down on its neck, making it yelp twice. The blade became lodged in its flesh and it turned to Harry, obviously hurt yet angry. Cybil, thankfully, managed to pick up her revolver from where she'd dropped it and fired several times at the demonic dog. It yelped again before dropping, its wounds finally too much for it.

They both stayed still, breathing heavily from the sudden rush of adrenaline before Harry noticed that the radio had stopped emitting as much static. Brow furrowed he picked it up and looked at it, before moving it towards the monster's body. The static became louder the close it came to the body, but it was nowhere near as loud as when the thing was alive. "Huh." Harry said, staring. "Early warning system. I think we should bring it along."

Cybil, having just gotten up, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, could be useful now that we know what it does." She rubbed her back from where she hit the ground, groaning, before moving to the door, checking the alley for any more demon dogs. Harry followed after clipping the little red radio to his pocket.

Both walked along the street, keeping an eye out for any more monsters. Harry stopped when they reached an intersection, making Cybil raise her eyebrow at him. "What is it?"

"I was thinking we should get a vehicle. That would probably help us get out faster. My original plan before we met was to head for the police station. Maybe we could get the keys to a cop car from there." Harry pulled out the map of Silent Hill he'd grabbed and looked up at the nearby street signs to situate himself. Cybil made her way over to look over his shoulder. They quickly saw that the police station was a decent distance away, so with a look at each other they headed in that direction, guns in hand, just in case.

They were a block from the station when Harry's radio started to crackle with static again. They both tensed, looking around for the source when several of the dogs burst out of a door behind them, growling. "Run!" Cybil cried, turning and firing a couple of shots as she backpedaled as quickly as she could. Harry didn't think twice, double timing it toward the station, hearing Cybil's footfalls right behind him. He came to an abrupt stop when one of the flying monsters swooped down at him from above, barely missing him. Cybil made her way passed him, still firing behind them and Harry quickly hit the flyer with his machete, making it screech. Cybil slammed into the doors of the station, which were thankfully open, and fired from there. "Harry, hurry!" Harry ran like hell when all of a sudden more creatures appeared, aiming for him. Cybil fired desperately, trying to keep Harry from being overwhelmed. Harry saw he wouldn't be able to make it to the doors before being killed and quickly ran away from the station. "Harry, where are you going!?"

"I'll meet you inside!" He yelled as he led his pursuers away. He counted himself lucky that apparently the canines weren't as fast as real dogs, otherwise he'd have been torn to shreds already. He made his way around the station, legs burning, and saw the door to the underground garage nearby, making his way to it desperately. He slammed into it and clawed it open, making his way inside and forcing the door shut just as a dog slammed into it. He frantically looked around at the garage, making sure he was alone, when he slumped to the ground in relief, absently noting that the radio had quieted back down.

After a bit to recover Harry got back up, flashlight on, and looked around more thoroughly. There were several cars nearby, and he hoped that they would run. He started making his way towards the door into the rest of the police station when he stopped. He could hear an odd sound. It sounded like… an air raid siren?

His head started to hurt as the siren got louder, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. It was nowhere near as bad as his Voldemort induced migraines, but it was still irritating. He opened his eyes only for them to widen in shock. The room was transforming, becoming corrupted. The walls were apparently decaying as he watched. Metals quickly rusted, plaster in the walls peeled away, exposing the inside of the walls, the same for the ceiling, from which chains fell, hanging. Pools of what looked horribly like blood leaked into various areas. When it was all over and the siren had stopped, Harry was in a completely different room.

"…What the bloody hell just happened?"

* * *

 ** _Finally finished this. I won't lie, this fought me. I couldn't figure out how to make everything happen, and I'm pretty sure it shows. It's not my best work, especially considering how long it took me to write to this length. Things should get better going forward though. I have plans, oh yes._**

 ** _So begins the Silent Hill arc of this story. I'm mixing in several elements from multiple games to create this one, though some elements will be completely mine, though those won't be seen till the end. I've come up with an idea for Silent Hill inspired by The Shining. You'll see what I mean soon enough, hopefully._**

 ** _For those wondering about which Justice League I'm using, it's animated series with elements from the comics. It's what I'm most acquainted with. I'm not big on nu52. I might use some comic events though. Just a thought. Blackest Night, anybody?_**

 ** _For those wondering about Dragon, still only a few pages into the 5_** ** _th_** ** _LN, so it's going to be a while. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this story._**

 ** _I think that's all. Hope you enjoyed, and please review._**


	3. Any Donuts?

Harry hesitantly looked around, his flashlight running along the ugly, rust covered walls and ceiling. He turned to the cars, which had looked fine just a bit ago, to find that they were now in as bad a shape as the room. They didn't even have tires, resting on the ground, paintless and covered in rust, with their windows smashed and seats ripped.

"What is going on with this damn town…?" Harry grumbled, trying to make sense of his new surroundings. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the odd, unpleasant smell that now lingered, raised his pistol, and made his way through the door into the rest of the station.

His hopes that whatever had happened had only affected the room he was in were dashed as the hallway he found himself in looked just as bad. He swept his gun around carefully, but thankfully the radio remained silent and he didn't see anything. He quickly picked a direction and carefully made his way, wary of any new surprises. He was incredibly uneasy. It didn't help that the perpetual rust made everything look like it was covered in blood in his light.

He reached a gate at the end of the hallway, behind which stairs leading up to the rest of the station rose. Harry tried to open the rusted gates, but they were locked shut. He pushed and pulled fruitlessly, trying to get them open, before growling. Looked like he'd have to either find the key for the gate or brave the outside of the station again. And who knew what condition the rest of the town was in, considering what the station looked like now.

Harry set off down the other side of the hallway, looking for anywhere the key might be. He'd check the rest of the floor first before heading back to the garage to look around. Before long he reached another door with a plaque above it stating 'Holding Cells'. What worried him, however, was that the radio was beginning to crackle with static again. He readied his gun and opened the door.

On the other side was a dark hallway with cells lining either side. What caught his attention immediately, however, was the fact that a figure was walking towards him from the darkness. As it made its way into the light of Harry's flashlight he saw it was another humanoid, like the first creature he saw in town. Already knowing what it could do and not wanting it to get too close, he raised his pistol and fired.

His first shot missed completely, hitting the bars of a cell, causing sparks. It also made his arms fly up, unused to the recoil. This allowed the creature to get close, and Harry's eyes widened when he saw it rear back. He quickly rushed to the side and around it to the other side of the hallway, getting behind it even as its dark, noxious liquid sprayed out, covering the floor. Since he was now safely behind the thing he raised the weapon to try again. The next two shots missed as well, though they were closer. The fourth finally slammed into the thing's shoulder, making it stagger as it continued turning itself around. It slowly made its way towards Harry again as he kept firing, now hitting its center mass more consistently. Finally, after the fifth shot that hit it the monster dropped to the ground, apparently dead, with a pool of dark blood spreading underneath it.

Harry sighed and relaxed as the radio once again quieted down. His hands were shaking slightly from the adrenaline. It was the first time he'd stood and fought one of the monsters of Silent Hill on his own. Now that he was no longer in danger he looked around, into the cells… and recoiled in horror.

There were bodies in the cells, obviously quite dead. They were all covered in gaping wounds, some with their entrails hanging out and falling to the ground, and all with their eyes gauged out. They were in all sorts of positions, many hanging from chains on the ceiling or otherwise posed.

Harry turned towards the wall and promptly emptied his stomach, unprepared for the sudden, gruesome sight. Absently he wondered who they could be. Hadn't Cybil said that whatever happened here occurred twenty years ago? He wiped his mouth and stepped toward the nearest body, checking on something he'd noticed on first glance, trying to keep from vomiting again. He blinked as he realized what he was looking at. Keys. There were keys in the wounds. He stepped back, confused, before his eyes widened in realization. Could one of these keys be for the gate out of the basement?

"What the fuck…?" He whispered, confused and still more than a little horrified. He looked in the other cells to find the same thing. Every body had at least one key. He bit his lip, wondering what to do. Then, with a feeling of intense disgust, he pulled a key from a woman's eye socket with a squelching sound which made him gag. He cleaned it as best he could before heading back to the gate, hurrying to get away from the cell block. He hopefully forced the key into the lock… only for his face to fall when it wouldn't turn. He jiggled the key in the lock, desperately trying to get it to work, but finally thumped his head against the bars in defeat. He pulled the key out and dropped it on the ground, trudging back to the jail.

It took many more times of reaching into the cold, slimy wounds of the various corpses, feeling cold, rubbery organs, before he finally found the key that opened the gate. He laughed softly in relief as it opened with a screeching sound of rusty metal, before it died in his throat as the radio started to crackle again. He'd barely started lifting his weapon when something pounced down the stairs, landing on him and sending him to the ground before rolling off of him due to momentum.

Harry scrabbled desperately. His gun had flown out of his hand and he didn't know where it was. He looked up to see that the thing attacking him was another of those horrible doglike things. He got on his knees and managed to draw his machete from the sheath at his side just as the dog lunged at him. He managed to throw himself to the side while desperately swinging the blade, hitting the dog with the flat of it and knocking it away enough that he was only grazed. Ignoring the pain in his side he frantically forced himself up and turned to the monster. It got closer to him, growling, but he swung the machete again, forcing it back. He wondered if he had enough time to draw the rifle from his back, but was forced to jump to the side again as the beast lunged once more. Before it could turn around he swung his machete down, cutting into its hindquarters and making it let out that weird double yelp again. He continued slashing at the thing, trying to kill it. Finally, he caught it in the back of the neck, forcing the blade in deep, and it dropped, dead.

Harry leaned against the wall, panting for breath. This place was taking its toll on him. He could feel himself shaking, and the fact that he hadn't had anything to eat or drink for a while now meant he wasn't in the best shape, especially with how much energy he was expending. He hysterically wondered if there were any donuts laying around in this police station. He shook his head, getting a hold of himself. All the more reason to find a way out of this damned town.

He found his gun, holstering it, and pulled his blade out of the dog, wiping it down before putting it away. He unslung the rifle off his back so he had it in his hands. Then he took a deep breath and raised his weapon before making his way up the stairs.

Thankfully the radio remained silent as he reached the ground level. He glanced around, trying to figure out where to go. It would be best to get to the main entrance and from there look for Cybil. The sooner they were reunited, the better.

Choosing a direction down the hall he made his way, rifle ready to use at any moment. The only noise was the sound of his footsteps on the dilapidated floor. He ended up in front of a door to the armory. Deciding there was no harm in seeing if there was anything they could use, or if Cybil had been in there, he opened the door, rifle at the ready.

Thankfully there was nothing inside. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside. The walls, which held racks for the various weapons, were empty. Only a couple of boxes of ammo were strewn about the room, and Harry quickly swept them up, putting them in his bag, in case they were needed. He stiffened when the radio suddenly began to crackle insistently and whirled around towards the entrance to the room, raising his rifle, only to recoil at the new monster in front of him.

At first he thought, somewhat hysterically, that it was on stilts. Then he realized that it was balancing itself on long blades that either grew from or were jammed into the amputated stumps of its legs. Its arms were the same, amputated with blades jammed into the ends. Its body was lanky, appearing more so due to the blades making its limbs look thinner and longer. Oddly enough, its head was separate from its body. Instead of being attached to a neck, it was held above its shoulders by an odd, metallic contraption.

The thing let out a screech and moved toward Harry on its leg blades, oddly graceful. Its arms were raised, ready to slash at him. Harry quickly aimed his rifle with a cry and fired.

If he had trouble with the recoil of the pistol, this was many times worse. He almost dropped to the floor from it, unprepared, especially as he had been more focused on shooting the abomination in front of him than getting into a stable stance. He scrambled back, trying to get away from the thing's swinging arm blades. He managed to get his rifle back into position and, bracing himself, fired again. This time he managed to hit the thing center mass, driving it back.

Surprisingly, it didn't drop, and Harry frantically fired again, hitting it in the arm and ripping the apparently frail limb off. This understandably angered the monster, and it shrieked with rage, jumping at him. Harry yelped and jumped to the side. Its remaining bladed arm lashed out, catching Harry in the arm. Thankfully it wasn't very deep, but it hurt like hell and he yelled in pain and fear.

Suddenly, the blasts of another rifle rang out just as the monster was about to pounce again, catching it in the side. It screeched, staggering, and promptly got hit by another shot. That seemed to do it and it dropped, dead.

Harry turned toward the doorway to find Cybil standing there, still aiming at the creature, breathing heavily. He had never been so happy to see anybody in his life. His knees went weak and he dropped to the dirty ground, dropping his rifle and bringing a hand to the cut in his arm. Cybil, satisfied the thing was dead, stepped into the room, closing the door behind her, and rushed to Harry's side.

"Harry? You alright, kid?" The blonde knelt beside him and gently pulled his hand away from his wound to take a look at it. She sighed softly in relief. "Alright, doesn't look too bad…"

Harry got a grip on himself. "Yeah, I'm fine. Had worse. It's just the adrenaline, that's all. I promise, I'm usually not this flaky."

Cybil chuckled. "I don't doubt that, Harry. You've been very put together considering all the weird shit that's been going on. Most people would have had some sort of breakdown by now. God knows I want to…" She looked around, studiously ignoring the body on the ground. "We still need to bandage this with something…"

Harry quickly grabbed one of the overly large sleeves on his shirt and started ripping it off. "We can use this. It's not like I'm attached to it. It's just a hand me down."

Cybil frowned but nodded. "Yeah, alright. Still, don't do that too often. It's still something to protect you from the chill. Last thing we need is you getting sick." She took the cloth and quickly and easily fashioned it into a bandage. "So how'd you get in?"

"Garage. Managed to keep ahead from the monsters enough to get in." He went quiet for a moment. He didn't want to mention what he saw in the jail. "I looked at the cars. They seemed like they were in decent condition. At least, they were before everything…" He waved his free arm at surroundings. "…changed like this. Now they're wrecks."

"Yeah, that was weird. Did you hear that siren when it all shifted too?" At Harry's nod she continued. "There's definitely something messed up going on. We need to get out and tell somebody. You said the Justice League, and I agree. They can probably deal with whatever this is."

"Hopefully. They might have trouble with their powers though." Harry commented.

Cybil looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "How would you know?"

Harry hesitated, but decided that there was no point in hiding it from her. He needed her in order to get out, after all. "I'm not exactly normal, myself. I can use magic. Well, usually…"

Cybil was staring at him. "You can do magic? And what do you mean, usually?"

"Well, when I tried when I first got here, something stopped me from doing it. Though, it might be because of how I arrived here, so maybe I should try again…" He stood up and pulled his want out of his pocket, grateful it was alright. Things like these made him wish he had gotten one of those wand holsters he'd heard about. He raised it and braced himself. "Lum-AAGH!"

Once again, a wave of agonizing pain slammed into harry, sending him to the ground, shaking. He had been prepared this time, so he didn't scream, his jaws clenched tightly as he shook on the floor. He vaguely made out the sound of Cybil calling his name and dropping to her knees beside him. Finally it stopped and he was once more left, panting, on the ground, Cybil somewhat frantically trying to make sure he was alright. He pushed himself up with shaky arms. "Yeah, most likely the town then…" He groaned out.

"Harry, what the hell!? Did you know that was going to happen!? Don't do that again!" Cybil all but shouted.

"Trust me, I have no intention of doing that again…" Harry muttered as he got back to his feet. He swayed slightly before shaking his head, getting a hold of himself.

Cybil reached out to steady him. "Alright, I believe you on the magic front. So, you think whatever is stopping you from using it would interfere in the powers of others?" At his nod she bit her lip. "Well, even if that's true, they're the best equipped to deal with this. So as long as we inform them of that fact, it should be fine." Once she was sure he wasn't going to collapse she picked up her rifle. "Now then, any clue what we should do? I'm open to suggestions."

Harry pulled his map of Silent Hill out of his bag and looked it over. "Any other ways out of town we could try?"

Cybil leaned in, looking at the map in the light from their flashlights. "Well, that road north is a no go. It leads to Shepherd's Glen, which is also covered in fog and most likely full of monsters too. And the bridge is out, of course. If it weren't blocked I'd say the tunnel, but knowing our luck it would collapse on us…"

"Well, there is the way I got here… There's a path behind the cemetery that leads around the tunnel. I was originally on the other side of it. We could go back that way, see if we can get out." Harry said in thought.

Cybil traced the path to the cemetery with a finger. "It's a bit far. How'd you get to where we met from there without running into anything?"

Harry shrugged. "I did run into something, but I ran. It's why I had that pipe when we met. Still, if we hurry we should be able to make it. We've just got to stick together."

His companion sighed, but nodded. "Alright, seems like our best bet. We should head for the main entrance then. Follow me." She hefted her rifle and made her way to the door, Harry quickly following behind her.

They slowly made their way along the hallway, listening intently for the slightest crackle from the radio. Thankfully nothing appeared as they made their way towards the main entrance, though everything looked as ruined as the rest of the station. They were sure they were home free when the radio began to crackle again at the door Cybil said led to their destination. They both tensed, looked at each other, and prepared their weapons. Cybil then slowly and carefully opened the door.

To their left was the main desk and the stairs leading upwards to various offices. On their right was their goal. Unfortunately, there was something between them and that goal. A very large something facing away from them.

It was twice the size of a regular man despite being hunched over like some sort of animal. It was hairless, with grey, ugly skin. Its right arm ended in large, lethal looking claws, while the left was replaced by a long blade, like the monster they'd faced in the armory. It, oddly enough, wore orange pants like those worn by prisoners covering legs like those of a horse or dog. It was breathing heavily, great body heaving, and Harry didn't know why it wasn't reacting to the noise of the radio, but he most surely wasn't complaining.

Harry nudged the frozen Cybil and motioned back the way they came, and she nodded in agreement. She was slowly closing the door when they were interrupted by a screech behind them. They whirled around to see another of the blade creatures rushing towards them, ready to cut them to pieces. They only had a split second to react, and Harry did so by slamming the door open and rushing through it, Cybil following behind more slowly, firing at the rushing monster in order to slow it down.

Harry looked around at the other thing they had been trying to avoid when he heard it roar. It had an ugly, misshapen face, with its lips peeled back tight against its face, exposing its teeth. It was glaring at Cybil, who was still backing away from the doorway, firing at the monster there. She'd be completely blindsided if the big one charged.

Without a thought Harry raised his rifle and fired at it before it could, hitting it in the side. "Oy, ugly, why don't you mess with someone smaller than you!?" He fired again, this time hitting it in the arm. The monster howled again and turned towards him. Harry quickly turned and sprinted up the stairs, feeling more than hearing its footsteps behind him.

"Harry!" Cybil yelled, thinking she'd finally killed the thing facing her by sending its head flying in a gory mess and turning to help, only to barely dodge a swing from the still attacking creature, though now it was mercifully silent. "Would you just die, you bastard!?" She snarled angrily.

Harry panted as he ran along the top floor, dodging dilapidated desks and chairs as he frantically tried to keep from being skewered by the huge thing after him, which was simply smashing the obstacles aside. He turned and quickly fired a shot at it, hitting it in the shoulder and making it howl. This was a mistake, however, as it let the thing get closer, and it swung its blade at him. Harry instinctively raised his rifle to block, and the blade easily sliced through it, leaving it useless.

"SHIT!" He cried, and threw the now worthless rifle halves at the it impotently. He stumbled over a waist high wall of crumbling wood to continue running, frantically trying to think of something he could do. Behind him, the thing roared again. He vaguely heard Cybil rushing up the stairs, but knew that she likely wouldn't have much more luck than he did.

Indeed, she reached the top of the stairs, panting, and quickly fired at the monster, dragging its attention towards her. It turned to rush her, and she tried to fire again, only for nothing to happen. The rifle was empty and needed to be reloaded. Not that she had time to do so. Cybil looked down at her rifle in betrayal before dropping it and drawing her revolver. They both knew, however, that it wouldn't do much compared to the firepower of the rifle.

As the monster made its way towards Cybil, Harry finally decided to do something desperate. He pulled out his wand in a flash and aimed it at the creatures back. Cybil's eyes widened, and she was about to yell for him to stop when he shouted "Incendio!"

The pain was agonizing, sending him to his knees, but he powered through it. This was life or death. He focused every bit of his power and intent on what he was doing, willing this to work. The pain continued as a consequence, but the spell was successful.

The monster shrieked as it was set ablaze, flailing madly as its entire body lit up. It slammed against the furniture and walls, desperately trying to get it to stop. It dropped, rolling around, but it was useless, Harry was maintaining the spell, making damn sure it burned to a crisp. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, especially to Harry, it stopped moving and fell silent, burning even without Harry's help even as a truly foul smell filled the room.

Seeing that it was finally dead Harry lifted the spell and promptly dropped, twitching weakly in the aftermath of the intense pain he'd endured. He groaned as his wand dropped from nerveless fingers, feeling like he desperately wanted to sleep. He feebly looked up as Cybil dropped to her knees beside him for the second time in an hour.

"Harry? Harry, can you hear me? Are you alright? Harry!?" She was practically shouting by the end, making Harry groan.

"M'fine…" He groaned. He weakly tried to push himself up, but his arms wouldn't support his weight, and he dropped.

"You are definitely not 'fine' Harry. Rest. I think we should be safe enough for now…" She trailed off as they both heard it. The siren that had announced the change in their surroundings before rang again. And just like before, things changed. This time, however, everything was changing back to the intact yet uncared for state it was in before. It was like watching time rewind itself; rust receded, plaster appeared from nowhere to cover the walls and ceiling, the furniture went from rotted kindling to being in relatively good shape.

For Harry, however, it was too much. The headache that accompanied the change was the last straw, and his already fatigued mind shut down, sending him into unconsciousness.

* * *

 ** _That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed. I know it wasn't strictly Silent Hillish, but I'm not really good at obtuse puzzles._**

 ** _I'll admit myself disappointed. I posted chapter two almost a week ago, and didn't get a single review for it. I know it wasn't my best work, but I expected at least one, even if it was to tell me it sucked. Hopefully I'll get something for this one. I'm not joking about reviews making me want to work. You almost didn't get a chapter this week because I had trouble finding motivation after the apparently poor reception chapter two got._**

 ** _Anyway, enough about that. I don't plan for the Silent Hill arc to be long. Probably about four more chapters, one for each location I plan on including. Honestly, I've found it a lot tougher than I originally envisioned. I have several key scenes planned that I think are great and are really important to the future of this fic. It's the stuff that's between them that's giving me trouble. As stated, I'm not good at coming up with puzzles. Which I know is an issue, as this is Silent Hill, and people expect odd, obtuse puzzles. Sorry, guess you'll have to deal with something a bit more action oriented. Hope that's not too big a problem._**

 ** _Speaking of, I added a couple of monsters from another horror game to add to the roster Harry faces. I'm sure you can figure out which they are. I'm curious if anybody knows what game they're from, as I don't think it's very well known. It's from the PS2 era, and I enjoyed it immensely._**

 ** _The events in Silent Hill, as I've said, are going to have a huge impact on this story, despite being short. This is where Harry grows the most, though he will still have growth going forward._**

 ** _Don't know when I'll post another chapter of this. I'm halfway done with the 5_** ** _th_** ** _LN of DxD, so I'll be ready to write the next chapter of Dragon soon. I've also got some other story ideas rattling in my head. One's a Jaune-centric RWBY idea. Another is a simple semi-novelization of Chrono Trigger, which is my favorite game of all fucking time. We'll see what I do._**

 ** _Anyway, please read and review. I mean it. It makes writing so much more enjoyable for me. Till next time._**


	4. Just Another School Experience

_Harry felt himself floating. He was weak. So very weak. He could feel it weighing him down. After what he had just been through, he wouldn't be able to last much longer. He needed something to help him recover._

 _Blindly he reached out. It wasn't a physical action. He was instinctually sending out his consciousness, groping for something, anything that would help._

 _Eventually he came across something. It was like a stream of energy winding its way like a breeze through a forest. He latched onto it, and drew on that power, using it to replenish himself._

 _But there was something wrong with the energy he was drawing on. It was tainted, dirty. It was akin to trying to drink pure, clean water through a black, toxic sludge. The more he used it, the more he could feel it tainting him as well. But he had no choice. It was draw strength from the corrupted power, or be too weak to do anything, much less survive._

 _And so he drank…_

* * *

Harry groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His head hurt, but not as much as he felt it should. And he, oddly enough, seemed to be laying on something relatively soft.

Hesitantly he opened his eyes to din weak light coming through dirty windows. He groaned again as he sat up, finding himself laying on a lightly cushioned bench.

"Glad to see you're up. I was getting worried. You've been out for over an hour." Came Cybil's voice.

Harry turned to find her sitting on a chair nearby, watching over him with her rifle resting on her lap. He raised his hand to his head, letting the last of the pain he was feeling bleed away. "No more attacks?"

Cybil gestured to the entrances to the room, which had been barricaded with the now intact if dilapidated furniture in the room. "I made some changes. Radio's been silent though, so hopefully that means they weren't necessary. Still, safe than sorry and all…" She cracked her neck. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine. I'm not in much pain anymore. Mostly just a headache." He responded.

Cybil nodded. "Good." She took a deep breath. "Now, what the hell were you thinking?"

Harry blinked, nonplussed. "What?"

"You heard me. What you did was beyond reckless, especially considering what it does to you. For all we know you could have given yourself brain damage!" The cop said sternly.

Harry stared. "Uh, I was thinking that we didn't have many other options and you were about to be cut to ribbons." He frowned. "Why are you angry? It worked, didn't it?"

"That's not the point!" Cybil retorted, scowling. "It's my duty to get you the hell out of here, and it's kind of hard for me to do that if you turn your brain to mush being reckless!"

Harry glared now. "I'm not your responsibility, Cybil! In case you hadn't noticed, we're in this together. You'd be dead if I hadn't done what I did. Now let's just focus on getting the hell out of here."

Cybil growled but nodded. "Alright, let's head for the graveyard. I was checking the map and got the route memorized. Get up and grab your stuff."

Harry nodded and got up, wincing slightly as his slightly sore muscles protested. He grabbed his bag and made sure the radio was securely attached to his waistband before un-holstering his pistol, lamenting the loss of the rifle. Once he made double sure it was fully loaded he nodded to Cybil, who had moved the furniture away from the main door enough to get out. She nodded back and opened the door, letting them back out into the foggy streets of Silent Hill.

They were both tense, weapons at the ready, but nothing sprung out of the fog to attack them.

"This way." Cybil said, moving down a different street than they'd used to arrive.

"Too bad we can't use a car like we originally meant to." Harry said softly. "But it's not like it'll be of any use once we reach the cemetery. Made the trip to the station kinda pointless." Cybil nodded in agreement.

They walked for several long minutes, both still tense and wary for any attack. They were crossing the street at an intersection when Harry turned and stared down one of the side streets.

"Harry?" Cybil asked.

"I thought I saw…" He took a few steps forward, squinting. Then his eyes widened and he started running. "Cybil! There's someone this way! They're human!" Cybil was startled, but ran behind Harry, who shouted out "Wait, we're not going to hurt you!"

"Harry, wait! Dammit kid!" Cybil cried after him as she hurried to catch up.

Eventually the chase led them to a large building. They both saw a figure rush in and slam the door shut behind them. Cybil tried to catch her breath. "What the hell, Harry? That was dangerous as hell. What if you'd run into something like big ugly back in the station?"

"I know, Cybil, but if there is somebody else here, I wouldn't feel right leaving them behind." He looked up at the words above the doors to the building. "Midwich Elementary School, huh?"

Cybil looked up too. "Why would they rush in here?"

"Maybe they've been hiding out here? Like they found a safe space?"

"If they managed that, I'll be impressed. Well, guess we should take a look." So saying, Cybil walked up the steps of the school, rifle at the ready, and carefully pushed the door open, Harry right behind her.

The inside of the school was empty and dark. There were papers scattered on the floor. Children's drawings and essays in untidy writing. Some of the lockers were open, casting weird shadows in the light of their flashlights.

They slowly stepped in, wary for any sign of attack. Thankfully, the radio remained silent and they walked forward a bit more confidently.

"We should check the school room by room. Hopefully we'll run into whoever that was quickly and can continue getting the hell out of here." Cybil said, and Harry nodded in agreement. They moved towards the first classroom and, after a glance inside, walked in.

The room was silent and full of desks placed haphazardly. There didn't appear to be anything of note, but they looked through it thoroughly anyway. They found the same in the next couple of rooms they entered. The only real difference between the rooms was the decorations. One was obviously the science room as it had the periodic table on the wall. Another appeared to be the English classroom, as it had famous lines and quotes posted on the walls.

They were in the math room, which had multiplication tables and other math paraphernalia, when they finally heard the radio start to crackle. They both whirled, weapons at the ready, and stared, once more horrorstruck at what they were seeing.

They were small. Each about the size of an eight year old child, with mottled greyish-green skin. They had a series of slits where their eyes should be and open, gasping mouths. Each carried a long, lethal looking knife in grotesque hands with long, multi-jointed fingers. They made screaming sounds, like children in unbearable pain, as they approached the two, ready to attack.

"A-are those… kids?" Cybil asked, sounding sickened. Indeed, it seemed like she was going to vomit from sheer horror.

Harry gulped but lifted his pistol. "Not anymore." He said grimly before firing, hitting one of the little monsters right where its eye should be. The remaining monsters screamed again as that one dropped, and both humans shot into the group without stopping till they were sure the enemy was down and the radio had quieted down.

They both stood, breathing heavily, before Cybil sank down on a desk with shaking legs, staring blankly, unable to tear her eyes away from the bodies of the monster children. Harry, not knowing what to say, lay his hand on her shoulder, offering support in spite of his own desire to just curl up in a ball.

"I knew, intellectually, that kids had died when whatever affected Silent Hill hit, but this…" Cybil said after a long moment of silence. Harry gave her shoulder a squeeze and she took a shuddering breath. "We're getting out of here, Harry. And then we're making sure this place is leveled, even if we have to fucking nuke it ourselves."

"You won't hear any argument from me. C'mon, let's get moving. The sooner we do, the sooner we get out." Harry said softly in response. Cybil nodded, and they both left the room, hoping to not run into any more of the things they just killed.

Thankfully they didn't run into anything further for a while as they checked the rest of the rooms. They paused upon reaching the nurse's office, grabbing bottles of pain killers and some bandages, just in case. Harry was quick to take a couple of the pills, swallowing them dry. Then they continued their search.

Harry opened a door in a corner, finding cleaning supplies and not much else. "Where could they be? We both saw them run into the school, they have to be somewhere."

Cybil, who was keeping an eye out while Harry checked the closet, shrugged. "I don't know. Would have to be somewhere out of the way, especially to keep anything from noticing them." She narrowed her eyes down the hallway, sure she had seen something in the darkness beyond the beam of her flashlight. "Maybe a basement?"

Harry closed the door. "Probably. We still need to check the other rooms though." He paused as he was about to move off. "Do you hear that?"

Cybil tilted her head, listening. She was about to say no when she heard it, a scraping sound. She gripped her rifle tightly as they heard it again. It was louder, closer. The two looked at each other and Harry opened his mouth to speak before the radio crackled loudly and insistently. Neither could avoid the thought that it was as if the radio was screaming at them.

They both started moving away from where the scraping sound was coming from, trying to avoid being spotted by whatever was approaching them. Harry waved Cybil into a classroom and, after making sure it was empty, they closed the door and hid, glancing carefully out the window in the door. Soon enough the newest monster to torment them appeared, and both stared.

It was tall, six and a half feet at least, and thin yet muscular. It wore what seemed to be dirtied, sleeveless robe that was formerly white, but was now stained with dirt and blood. Behind it was dragged an enormous blade that looked like a kitchen knife, if not for having a length of approximately five feet. The most notable thing about it, however, was its head. It seemed to be incased in a huge helmet/torture device. It was a pyramidal structure with a sharp, lethal point reaching down in front, almost reaching the things waist. It had to weigh at least a couple hundred pounds, but the monster moved regardless.

It glanced around, though how it could see was anybody's guess, before moving forward, leaving them behind, till only the faint scraping of its weapon on the ground was heard. Cybil let out a sigh of relief. "Whatever that was, I don't want to face it in a fight." Harry nodded fervently, and the radio's noise died down.

Once they were sure it was safe they warily left the room. They found they had reached the stairwell which led up and down.

"What do you think? Second floor, or basement?" Harry asked.

Cybil considered it. "If they're hiding I think it's more likely they're in the basement than up top, so let's check there first."

Harry nodded, and the two made their way down, weapons drawn and ready, though thankfully the radio remained silent. They looked around when they reached the bottom. It was even darker down here, but beyond that it was silent. Pipes snaked their way across the ceiling and walls, but nothing moved.

They moved down the hallway, ready for anything, but nothing appeared. Rather than set them at ease, this fact served to make them more and more tense. Their luck couldn't last forever. Finally they reached a door labeled 'Boiler Room'. They looked at each other before carefully opening it. Both quickly raised their weapons when they saw a figure standing in the, surprisingly, lightly illuminated room. They didn't fire though, as the radio was silent.

It was a woman. She appeared to be about thirty and was very pale with a somewhat gaunt face. Her long hair was a silvery blonde that reminded Harry of the Malfoys, and her eyes were blue. She wore a coat over a simple dress of dark blue or black which reached her shins, revealing that she was completely barefoot. She was standing in the middle of the room, watching them calmly.

"Er… Hello?" Began Harry, lowering his weapon slightly. Cybil did the same, eyeing the woman carefully as she and Harry entered the room fully, closing the door behind them.

"Hello." The woman said, voice strong. "I see you followed me into the school rather than continue trying to make your escape."

"Well, we couldn't just leave you. If there's someone else trapped here, we had to try and help." Harry said, confused.

The woman gazed at them, and it was then that Harry noticed she didn't seem to have eyebrows, meaning it was very difficult to try to read her.

"Trapped? I'm not trapped, young man. I live here. I am priestess and attendant to my god." She said simply.

Both Harry and Cybil glanced at each other. Cybil looked back at the woman, feeling tenser. "What's your name?"

"Claudia. Claudia Wolf." The woman, Claudia, responded simply.

"You're here voluntarily!?" Harry finally blurted out. "But the monsters! And that weird decay!"

"They won't harm the devoted." Claudia replied calmly.

Before either of them could respond another door opened admitting another woman in. This one was older than Claudia, most likely in her mid to late fifties. She had grey hair that reached her neck and her face was one that indicated previous beauty, though now she was sallow cheeked and dark eyed. She wore what appeared to be a ceremonial dress and headdress with a red and black striped tie, and was barefoot as well.

"Claudia. There you are girl." She approached before stopping upon seeing Harry and Cybil. "Ah, I see."

"Yes, Mother Dahlia. These two souls have recently joined the town. I was observing them when I was spotted. They followed me here." Claudia said calmly.

The newly named Dahlia observed the two. "Interesting. Very interesting. You, boy." She pointed at Harry. "I can tell you hold great power. Yes, you will be prefect. Perhaps even enough for the next stage."

Harry looked at the woman, beyond confused. "What are you talking about, lady?"

Dahlia looked at them dismissively. "You are in the domain of our lord. Your souls are now his, granting him more power. Power needed to spread to the rest of the world, bringing about Paradise."

Harry scowled. "My soul is my own! Who is this lord of yours?"

Dahlia's eyes suddenly glinted with mad zeal. "Our god, and future lord of this decadent world, Samael!"

Harry felt as if he'd just been doused with the entirety of the water from Hogwarts' lake in early January. "Samael? You follow a Fallen!?" He raised his weapon, seriously contemplating shooting.

Near the beginning of his Hogwarts career Hermione had babbled about a topic that he'd actually found interesting at the time and so had listened intently. She'd just found books in the History section of the Library regarding world mythologies. When she'd asked Madame Pince why they were there, she'd been surprised to find it was because the magical world knew the gods of the various pantheons to be real. There were NEWT level students focusing on History who studied the topic extensively.

Among them Hermione had interestedly read about the beings dealt with in Abrahamic mythology, such as Angels and Demons. The Fallen had been mentioned as being essentially like their Biblical counterparts, except even worse. Any whisper a magical government heard of anybody trying to make contact with such beings brought down a hammer made of the combined might of every government on Earth. Nobody wanted to give the Fallen a foothold on the material plane. And Samael was considered one of the worst of that group.

Harry had a further revelation as he remembered all this. "This town is due to Samael!? He has a foothold!?"

Claudia looked as unperturbed as her senior, though now that Harry looked for it he saw the same glint of madness in her eyes as was in Dahlia's. "The great lord Samael has blessed this place since our Order opened the path to him twenty years ago. He came through and turned Silent Hill into his domain. This location was perfect for him. It has always been a powerful place. Even the savage natives knew it. They called it 'The Place of the Silent Spirits'." Claudia smiled. "Now, our lord will spread his influence from here. Soon the entire world will be covered in the fog, and true Paradise will be born! It already began by spreading to Shepherd's Glen. Soon it will spread to Brahms, and from there one of the great cities, packed with souls to give lord Samael more power and help him extend his reach."

Both Harry and Cybil stared at the two women in horror, weapons up and ready to fire. "You're insane…" Breathed Cybil, before her stare turned into a glare. "We won't let you get away with this." She snarled. "We'll call the Justice League in as soon as we get out and they'll put a stop to all of this."

Dahlia sneered slightly. "I do not know what this Justice League is, but you won't be able to call upon them. Nobody gets out of here. You'll remain here till you die, and then your soul will empower lord Samael." She let a nasty smile curl her lips. "And even if you managed it, that would only help us. More powerful souls for lord Samael!"

Harry was about to speak when he heard something. A scraping sound. A thrill of horror went through him as he remembered the horrible, pyramid headed thing. It was coming.

The others heard it too, and while Cybil looked apprehensive, the other two women looked interested.

"Oh my." Claudia said. "One of you has summoned a Shadowed One. I wonder which. They only appear for certain reasons." She looked at them both. "Is it you, boy, who's calling to it? Or perhaps the police woman?"

Before either could answer, or even ask what the hell she was talking about, as neither wanted that thing after them, the radio started to crackle. At first they thought it meant the pyramid thing had gotten close enough to register. The something landed on Cybil's shoulder. "OW!" She cried, grabbing whatever it was and throwing it to the floor. "It bit me!" They looked and saw that it was an insect, like an exceptionally large cockroach. Harry promptly stepped on it before looking up to see if there were any more, and froze.

The ceiling was crawling with the things. Cybil, who had followed his gaze, aimed her rifle up unthinkingly. The weapon wouldn't be much help against a mass of insects though.

Harry looked at the women in front of him, and while Claudia was gazing at them bemusedly, Dahlia stared at Harry's radio. "So…" he heard her whisper. "That's where you've been hiding, my dear…"

The radio's static got much louder, seemingly in response, but then the door Dahlia had come through was smashed open, and the pyramid monster walked in, dragging its weapon behind it. Harry made a strategic decision. "Run for it, Cybil!"

They both turned and ran. Harry glanced back momentarily to see Claudia and Dahlia watching them, being utterly ignored by the pyramid monster and the insects.

Harry and Cybil rushed down the hallway. Harry paused briefly to turn and shoot at the monster following them. The bullets impacted its metal torture device ineffectively. Not only that, but Harry could see the monster bugs flowing down the hallway after them as well. He abandoned his attempts and ran after Cybil, who had reached the stairway.

They both rushed up it desperately, trying to get their asses out of the school as quickly as possible. Because of this they practically rant into a group of the children monsters from before. Screaming shrilly the things attacked. Cybil, who was in the lead, got a nasty cut on her leg as she backpedaled, raising her rifle and firing.

The two cleared a path as quickly as possible and rushed past the remainder, even as the things followed them on their short legs, still screaming. Soon the saw the doors to the school ahead, the weak light of the outside beckoning them onward.

With everything still following them the two burst back into the streets of Silent Hill and didn't stop running.

* * *

 ** _So here's another chapter of Brightest in Shadow. The next chapter I write will be a Dragon one, I promise._**

 ** _So, some lore exposition for my version of Silent Hill here. As you can see, in this universe the Order for the most part succeeded in summoning their god. So now I've upped the stakes, seeing as in my story, the town's influence is spreading. How will things go forward from here? Well, next is another classic Silent Hill location._**

 ** _Sorry if you're disappointed about there being no Otherworld version of the school this time, but I couldn't think of how to work it in. Next chap we'll definitely head back to Otherworld though._**

 ** _Pyramid Head. In my opinion he's overplayed. He made sense in 2 because he was an integral part of the story, but then they tried to shoehorn him in to the others, with varying success. Homecoming had a decent explanation for it, but they could have easily used something original. Still, I think he makes sense for this universe. Anybody that's played SH2 knows who he's after and why, I think._**

 ** _Surprised nobody knew where the new monsters from the last chapter were from. Or if anybody does, they didn't mention it in the reviews. Debating using another monster from that series in the next chapter. I'll see what I think up._**

 ** _In case anybody was interested, I posted the first chapter of a RWBY fic last week. It's short, more a concept idea. If it's your cup of tea though, let me know what you think._**

 ** _Again, next chapter I put out will be for Dragon. Probably be out this time next week. I'll see if I can get it out faster._**

 ** _Till next time, read and review. Bye._**


	5. Paging Doctor Lovecraft

Harry and Cybil ran for what seemed like ages, desperate to keep away from the monsters following them. Thankfully they didn't run into anything further as they created distance from the school, and they finally stopped, panting, in front of an apartment building a decent way away.

"I think… we should be… alright… for now…" Harry panted. Cybil nodded, hands on her knees as she caught her breath.

Once they'd both recovered Cybil looked at Harry questioningly. "Alright, so spill. What's a Fallen, and what does it have to do with this messed up town?"

Harry bit his lip. "By Fallen I mean a Fallen Angel." At her raised eyebrows he nodded. "Yes, really. They're known to constantly be trying to find a way onto out plane of existence, and any hint of something like that is taken extremely seriously by the magically aware governments of the world. Even some of the worst dictators would have no problem joining forces with the rest of the world to deal with something like that. Whatever cult those two loonies are part of, though, managed to not only worship a Fallen, but did something to let him through. That's… bad. Especially if he's been gathering power for twenty years without anybody noticing."

"Okay, I can see that." Cybil said with a nod, obviously trying to wrap her head around everything. "But he hasn't managed to spread his influence far, has he? We should be fine for now, right?"

"That would be true, but from what those two said, he's been biding time and gathering strength to extend himself again, this time to Brahms. If he gets another decent sized town, he might have enough power to make a grab for a major city. And if he's allowed to capture a large population in low millions, he'll spread that much faster. It's an exponential increase. Imagine him getting the population of, say, New York City, or Metropolis. Before long he'll have spread throughout the entire eastern coast of America." He explained.

"Oh…" Cybil said shortly, slightly paler. "Alright, so we definitely need to get out and warn somebody. Maybe evacuate nearby towns to keep him from getting any souls to feed himself."

Harry nodded. "At the very least. First thing's first, though, we need to get out. We can worry about that afterwards."

Cybil pulled out her map of Silent Hill and took a look at it. "Alright, looks like we've moved away from the cemetery. As much as I want to just sprint out of here, we'll need to be careful, so that means a relatively slow pace." She put the map away and readied her rifle. "Alright, ready to go?" Harry nodded, and they both began to head out. After a few steps, however, Cybil had to stop and shake her head.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked.

"Nothing. Just a bit of dizziness. I'll be fine. This place is just getting to me." Cybil responded.

Harry nodded and continued making his way along the silent, foggy streets. Cybil had reminded Harry of his own circumstances. He was incredibly thirsty, and his stomach was rumbling. However, he no longer felt as weak as he had at the police station. He was able to function well enough, and he was steady on his feet. He absently wondered what was going on with him. Something told him that, in a town under control of a Fallen, the unexplained was not a good thing. Unfortunately, he couldn't focus on that right now. His first priority was getting Cybil and himself out of the town.

As they continued walking, however, it became increasingly clear that something was wrong with Cybil. She'd began to sweat, and she swayed slightly on her feet while her skin had turned pale.

"Cybil, what's wrong." Harry asked once again.

Cybil shakily sank down to sit on the edge of the sidewalk with a groan. "I don't know. I was fine before. Now I feel weak…"

Harry stared down at her, wondering what could be wrong with her. Then his eyes widened in realization as he stepped toward her. "I think I know what's wrong." He grabbed the collar of her shirt, moving it aside, to expose an angry looking, swollen wound on her shoulder.

Cybil looked at the wound as best she could, looking confused. "Wha…?"

Harry looked at her. "The bug, remember? It bit you. It must have some sort of venom. This is why you're feeling sick."

Cybil groaned. "Acts fast, doesn't it?"

Harry nodded gravely. "Looks like it." He rooted around in his pack, looking at the supplies taken from the infirmary of the school. "I don't think any of this stuff is going to help much…" He said, hesitantly putting a large band aid on the wound.

Cybil let out another groan before struggling to her feet. "Then let's get moving. The faster we're out of this town, the faster I can get to a hospital."

Harry had ignored her, pulling out his own copy of the town map, studying it carefully. "There's a hospital, Alchemilla, about four blocks away. We might be able to find some antibiotics to help you there."

"Harry, it's too dangerous. Who knows what we'll run into in there. Our best option is to get out of the town as quickly as possible." Cybil said. In spite of her words, however, her face was shiny with sweat, and her body was trembling slightly.

"Cybill, look at yourself. You're barely standing upright. If we don't do something, you won't be able to get out at all. So let's carefully go to the hospital and take a quick look around." Harry said reasonably.

Cybil stared at him for a bit before groaning in defeat. "Yeah, alright kid. Let's get to the hospital. Which way?"

Harry began to lead them toward Alchemilla Hospital. They were two blocks from it when they heard the familiar sound of the radio crackling, followed by another sound of one of the flying monsters approaching. Harry and Cybil quickly ducked down just as the thing dived for them. Harry was able to get up quicker than the weakened Cybil and swiftly aimed his gun at the monstrosity. His first shot went wide, but the second hit it in the left wing, making it fall to the ground with an angry screech. Harry didn't give it a chance to get back up, easily double tapping it in its hideous head, making it stop moving.

He turned to find that Cybil was still on the ground, having trouble getting up. He hurriedly moved to help her up. Cybil was scowling at her own weakness, but Harry wisely kept silent, simply getting her to her feet and continuing to lead her to the hospital.

Soon enough they arrived at the large building of the hospital, which stood dark and ominous, just like all the other buildings in the accursed town. Slowly, carefully, they made their way into the building, weapons at the ready.

The entrance hall was silent and empty. The front desk was covered in papers. A small shop with gifts for patients stood nearby. Cybil absently looked at the gifts, picking up a postcard for the local amusement park, Lakeside, which was being sold there for some unfathomable reason.

"I remember this." She said with a small smile down at the purple rabbit mascot on the card. "My dad used to take me to the Lakeside Amusement Park when I was a little kid, before the fog came. I used to look forward to it so much…" She trailed off before looking around at the dilapidated interior of the hospital. "…God damn the people who did this…" She said softly. Harry laid a hand on her uninjured shoulder before moving on. Cybil absently pocketed the postcard and followed after him.

The radio was silent as they looked through the area for any threats. They were about to head to look into the patient rooms when Cybil stumbled, falling to her knees. Harry rushed to her side. "I'm… I'm fine." Cybil gasped.

"Right. And I'm Superman. Come on, let's find you someplace to rest while I search the hospital." Harry said, throwing her arm over his shoulders and carrying her to one of the patient rooms despite her protests. He set Cybil on one of the beds farthest from the door. "Alright, stay here and rest. I'll look through the hospital and find you some antibiotics. You should be safe here."

Cybil growled in frustration before holding her rifle out to Harry. "Here, take it."

"Cybil, you might need that., what if something shows up?" Harry protested.

"You're more likely to run into some nasty than I am, kid. Take it and stay safe. I'll be here, waiting for you." She told him, trying bravely to smile for him.

Harry hesitated before taking the rifle. He checked it just as she'd taught him before nodding to her and heading out. "I'll be back before you know it, and then you'll be all better." With one last smile at her he closed the door.

Harry looked around, adjusting his hold on the rifle, before making his way in the direction he thought it was most likely he would find medicine. He looked through every room, searching high and low for what he needed. All the while he remained tense. He hadn't run into anything nasty yet, but it was only a matter of time.

After the sixth room with nothing of use he growled. "Will nothing in this damned town give us a fucking break?" He scowled as he stalked back into the hallway. "Movies about these kind of things made it seem more bearable. I'd kill for some background music. It would preserve what's left of my fucking sanity."

Harry jumped when his radio, rather than emit static as he had been expecting, suddenly began to play music. It was some pop song that sounded vaguely familiar, but he didn't recognize. "What the…?" He unclipped the radio from his pocket and stared at it. "You can play music?" The song shifted briefly to what sounded like American Country music with a deep voiced man saying "You'd best believe I can!" before it switched back to pop.

Harry stared for a while longer before tentatively asking "Can you still warn me about any monsters?". In response the radio went to static, making Harry whirl around, searching for the threat, before the radio switched back to pop, which made him realize it was answering the question.

"There's something very odd about you, you know that?" Harry said, which the radio didn't respond to beyond continuing to play music. "…You know what? Fine. You've been the only thing besides Cybil on my side in this damn town. I'm not going to complain about you giving me some background music to help me deal." Then he frowned. "Could it not be pop though? I'm more of a rock/metal kind of guy." Immediately the music switched to what Harry recognized as Faint by Linkin Park. "Much better." He said with a smile, clipping the radio back to his pocket. Then he went back to his search, buoyed by the music, which chased away the maddening silence he'd had to deal with up till that point.

It was five minutes later, when the radio was playing a classic Metallica song as Harry was heading up the stairs to the second floor, that it suddenly switched to static, indicating his first monster encounter in the hospital. He prepared himself and made his way the rest of the way up the stairs carefully, his flashlight illuminating the way.

At the top of the stairs he looked around to see a group of figures standing not too far away. He carefully aimed the flashlight at them, wanting to get a look at what he was dealing with.

They appeared to be women. This was obvious by their curvaceous forms that were displayed by their outfits. It took Harry a second to realize they wore stereotypical nurses' uniforms, like the kind you'd see women dress as for Halloween. The outfits were more risqué than a real nurse's uniform would be, even when the type was still in use. They were tight against their forms, exposing impressive cleavage and revealing an indecent amount of leg.

However, the rest of them destroyed any semblance of attractiveness they had. Their skin was deathly pale, and was riddled with dark veins. It was their faces that demanded the most attention, however. They didn't have any. There was only a mass of warped flesh underneath a jaunty nurse's cap. The last thing of note was that in their hands they held very sharp looking scalpels.

Harry took all this in within a few seconds. That was all the time he had, as when the light shone on them they turned and began to make their way towards him. Their movements were awkward and jerky, like a puppet being controlled by a bad puppeteer. But it still brought them closer.

Harry quickly aimed his rifle at them and fired. The one in the lead fell back against one of its companions, a new hole in its stomach, but the others continued advancing, and eventually that one got up to continue as well. Harry continued to fire before the rifle clicked empty. One of the nurses lunged at him, ready to stab him with its scalpel, and Harry backpedaled out of range, kicking it back in the process. He quickly reloaded and resumed firing.

This was the pattern that was followed till finally the last of the nurse monsters fell to the ground, completely limp. Harry panted as the radio's static faded, to be replaced by, off all things, the victory theme from Final Fantasy. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Appropriate." He grinned, reloaded his weapon, and continued on his way.

For the next twenty minutes things continued in this vein. He'd go into a room, search it with mounting desperation, deal with the occasional nurse-thing, and move on. Of course, it wasn't only the nurses that inhabited the building. Twice Harry ran into the armless, acid spewing monsters. Thankfully he had grown used to fighting things by this point, and they weren't as much of a threat as he'd found them at first.

He absently wondered what it said about him that he'd gotten so used to fighting and killing monsters so quickly.

Harry was looking through the rooms on the third floor when he finally made some progress. One of the offices had vials of penicillin. Now he just needed some syringes in order to apply them to Cybil. He was getting worried though. He'd already spent nearly forty-five minutes searching, and Cybil had been deteriorating fast. So he resumed his search with greater fervor now that he'd made some tangible progress.

Five minutes later Harry smiled. He'd found several syringes in an opulent office, thankfully still in their sealed packaging. They were near a baggie of what Harry could only assume was something illegal. Not that he cared what a dead doctor had pumped into his body. All that mattered now was that he'd found what he needed.

He made to leave the office when he hesitated. Something had been nagging him since he entered the room. A feeling that he found somewhat familiar. So he began searching the room again, trying to figure out what it was.

He searched for almost five minutes before deciding to give up with a scowl. He hadn't found anything. He glared at a portrait hanging on the wall of a dour faced old man glaring out at everybody. "What are you looking at?" He grumbled, swiping at it to release some pent up frustration. To his surprise it swung open, revealing a wall mounted safe. He stared as the music turned to something celebratory. "Well… That was absurdly lucky." He muttered.

He approached the safe with a frown. Whatever was causing the feeling he was getting was coming from the safe. Now the issue was opening it. He considered using an Alohomora spell to force it open, but he really didn't want to go through that pain again any time soon. So he once more searched the room for any clues. When he didn't find anything he growled and glared at the portrait, which had swayed back towards the safe, letting him see it. His eyes absently ran over its form before landing on the small plaque at the bottom of the frame.

 _James E. Waters. November 22_ _nd_ _, 1947_

Harry glared at the words. It couldn't possibly be that easy, could it? He approached the safe and turned the dial. Eleven. Twenty-two. Nineteen. Forty-seven. The safe clicked, and swung open slightly. Harry's eye twitched. "Whoever this guy was, he was a moron." He muttered before opening the safe.

Inside were a couple of bundles of hundred dollar bills, some important looking papers, and… an ornate vial full of a crimson substance.

Instantly Harry knew that the vial was what he'd been sensing. Whatever was inside it emitted power. He picked the vial up and examined it. He didn't recognize it from his potions lessons, but it was obviously magical in some way. Whatever it was, it made him feel slightly better by being near it, like being in a large room with a fire at the other end during a winter snowstorm. Not exactly warm, but not as chilled. He carefully put it in his bag. He didn't know what it could be used for, but it might wind up useful sometime.

Deciding that he had wasted enough time and that he should really get back to Cybil now that he had what she needed, Harry quickly started making his way towards the door. Before he could make it, however, he was once again stopped. This time, it was because a familiar siren began to sound. With a stab of pain behind his eyes Harry saw that the world began to once again decay rapidly, the plaster peeling from the walls, furniture becoming so much debris, metals corroding till they were blood red with rust. By the time the siren faded the place was a disaster.

Harry shook head to dispel the last of his headache before clutching his rifle tightly. His heart was beating fast in his chest. Now, more than ever, he needed to get back to Cybil. The radio, which had gone silent when the siren sounded, once again started playing, this time deciding on Princes Of The Universe by Queen. The dissonance that created with what had just happened made Harry calm down and look down at the machine sardonically. "Not really appropriate, you know?" But he smiled, calmer now, and made his way out of the room.

Just like in the police station the entire hospital was affected by whatever the change was. When Harry passed by a window he amended that to the entire town. It was pitch black outside whereas before there had been some light coming through the thick fog. His flashlight was the only light available, which meant he had to be extra careful now.

He quickly made his way towards the nearest stairs, but stopped suddenly as the radio swiftly switched to static. He lifted his rifle, looking around for his newest opponent, but it was only his reflexes that saved him when something darted at his shins down below. He jumped back and aimed the flashlight at whatever had attacked him. He gaped slightly.

It was a small, squat humanoid creature about the size of a medium sized dog. It had withered limbs, one hand missing several fingers, and a leg missing a foot entirely. It was completely hairless, and oddly wore what appeared to be a pair of white briefs. However, the most eye catching detail was the syringes. It had at least half a dozen very large syringes stuck in its back, which were full of some greenish liquid. The thing looked up at him, misshapen mouth open in a snarl, and Harry saw that its eyes were replaced by the needles of syringes pointing out.

It had tried to attack him with another of the syringes, and Harry was in no hurry to find out what the liquid inside it would do to him if it was injected, so he swiftly aimed his rifle down and blew the thing's head to so much offal with a shot.

However, the radio continued to spit out static, making him search for any more. He found one when it screeched and pounced at him, scrabbling on top of him, and grabbed a syringe before trying to stab it into his neck. Harry fell back, flailing as he tried to get it off before it stabbed the needle into his flesh. With a heave and a cry he managed to send it flying right before it broke skin with its weapon. He'd dropped his rifle as he'd struggled with the little monster and, rather than waste time picking it back up, he unholstered his pistol and quickly started firing at the scrabbling thing. Many of his shots missed, as the thing was moving erratically and throwing off his aim as he tried to kill it. Finally he managed to hit it in the back, making it screech, and he followed that up with four more shots, making it lie still at last.

Harry breathed heavily as he reloaded his pistol, ready for more, but the radio had gone back to the Final Fantasy victory music, letting him know he was safe for now. He picked up the rifle and reached into his bag for ammo, grimacing when he realized he was almost out of rifle ammo. He'd need to conserve it for bigger threats till he got back to Cybil, who should have more in her own bag. So he slung the rifle onto his back and readied the pistol. Once he was satisfied he continued on his way.

He went down the stairs, aiming to head straight for the first floor and thus Cybil, but scowled when he reached the second floor and found that the stairs heading further down were blocked by debris. That meant he'd have to make his way to the other side of the hospital and go down the stairs there.

"Well fuck." He growled, irritated. Not only was that more of an opportunity for things to attack him, but it delayed him getting back to Cybil, which was definitely a problem. Sighing, he began making his way through the empty hallways, the radio's music once again his sole companion.

He was halfway to the other end of the hospital when the radio once again began to hiss. Harry sighed. "Really?" He asked tiredly. "What now?" He once again looked around, expecting either more of the little syringe monsters or the nurses. He tensed in horror, however, when he heard the familiar scraping of a large, heavy blade approaching. "No… Oh come on!" He cried in anger and fear as the huge, pyramid headed monster appeared in the light of Harry's flashlight. "Leave me alone, you motherfucker!" He started shooting at the thing, which was completely ineffective, as the bullets ricocheted off the giant metal pyramid.

Slowly but surely it made its way closer. Then, to Harry's surprise, it managed to somehow lift its immense knife, thrusting it at him. Harry yelped and dodged back, barely keeping from being cut.

Harry was thinking furiously. He needed to get passed this thing. Going back was a no go, as the way down was blocked. He dodged back again as the knife was once more thrust at him. He took aim and shot at the thing's exposed leg, hoping to stagger it. The bullets impacted against it… and did nothing. It didn't seem to register any pain. It simply continued advancing.

There was only one option. The next time the monster thrust at him, Harry dodged to the side and forward, trying to rush past it. He thought he was going to make it, but suddenly the thing's arm was thrust out, clotheslining him. Harry dropped onto his back, choking. Its arm was like stone!

The monster turned to his prone form and lifted its weapon, ready to thrust it down at him. Harry's eyes widened and he just barely managed to roll away as the blade came down, slicing into the ground easily. He scrambled away on all fours, trying to get away. It swung down at him, but Harry once again dodged to the side and continued hurrying away. Once he felt he was far enough away he got to his feet and ran like hell.

He kept running even after the radio stopped emitting static and switched to a soothing song. He needed to put as much distance between that thing and himself as possible. He didn't stop till he reached the stairs leading down, which were thankfully clear. He made his way down before leaning against the wall, gasping for breath.

"That thing… is… unreal…" He panted. He quickly got a hold of himself. He needed to get Cybil and get them out of the hospital before that thing caught up to them. He hurriedly reloaded his pistol and headed on his way to the room he'd left her in. Thankfully he didn't run into anything further, at least for now.

He entered the room Cybil was in, the door screeching unpleasantly as it opened. "Cybil, I got the stuff. Let's dose you and get… going…" He finished slowly.

The room was empty. The only things in it were the rusted remains of the metal bedframes and several papers that had been there when he first came in. He slowly made his way to the bed he'd left her on, looking for any clue as to what happened. He saw that his first impression was wrong and that Cybil's bag was still there as well. His foot hit something, making it slide along the floor, and he looked down to see it was the postcard Cybil had picked up from the gift shop. He bent down to pick it up with a shaking hand and turned it over to find words written in what appeared to be blood.

 _'Help Me'_

* * *

 ** _And scene. There we go, chapter five of Brightest in Shadow. Hope it satisfies._**

 ** _I know some people are going to look askance at the radio suddenly playing music, but there is a purpose to and a story reason for it. I've actually hinted at it in the last chapter, if you look for it. It'll be explained eventually. For now, it's helping Harry maintain his sanity when he's alone. Silence can be horrible to one's psyche._**

 ** _Probably two more chapters of the Silent Hill arc left. I'm looking forward to finishing it so we can get to more interesting prospects. Though it's still been entertaining, I hope._**

 ** _I wrote this while listening to Linkin Park on Spotify. Was very sad to hear of Chester's death. I liked him. So this one's to him._**

 ** _I had a story idea that I'm probably not going to develop any time soon, so I thought I'd post it here as a sort of challenge. It's a pseudo Harry Potter / Fate/stay night cross, though I don't intend for it to be set in the Nasuverse, mainly take elements and characters from it for use. It's an idea born of starting to play Fate/Grand Order._**

 ** _Basically, Harry gets the ability to summon legendary heroes thanks to finding an item that does a sort of programmed version of the ritual for it. The idea is one of Harry's ancestors managed to find a way to connect to a legendary thing called The Throne of Heroes, and imbued an item with the power to form the connection and summon legendary heroes to assist him. He simply never let anybody know of this, so that even his family was unaware. But Harry somehow gets his hands on this item and accidentally summons one of the heroes._**

 ** _The heroes are up to whoever is writing this. You could have Arturia be his primary, or Medea, or so on. But the idea is that he's able to summon anybody he wants, and enlists their help to fight Voldemort. From there it can go however you want. I would suggest you up the stakes though, cause otherwise it'll be a complete curbstomp, and that's not really fun long term._**

 ** _If you want to write a story based on that, that's fine. All I ask is you let me know so I can check it out, and give me credit for the original idea._**

 ** _Can't think of anything else to talk about. Hope everybody enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next time. And of course, please review. It helps my self-esteem._**


	6. Carnival of Horrors

Harry stared at the postcard in his hand, mind whirling a million miles an hour. What had happened? Why did Cybil leave? Was she taken away? Had something captured her? Where was she?

After he shook himself out of his shock, Harry began looking around the room for any clues. Unfortunately he still couldn't find anything to help. Before long he was sitting on the bed he'd left Cybil on, head hung low. He looked back at the postcard, staring at the message written on it.

"What do I do…?" He moaned, completely at a loss. The radio played some encouraging music, trying to lift his spirits, but it wasn't working very well. He absently turned the card around, staring at the cheerful image on the front of a purple rabbit mascot holding cotton candy in front of the amusement park. He stared at it for what seemed like ages before a light sparked back into his eyes.

"Maybe…" He whispered. Finally he nodded to himself and got up. "It's my only clue. Might as well go with it." He quickly headed to the bag Cybil had left behind, grabbing the supplies and cramming them into his own. Once he had everything he pulled out his map of Silent Hill and traced the path he'd have to take to his destination with his finger. It wasn't a short trip, but even so Harry was prepared to brave the altered streets of Silent Hill. He quickly made sure his weapons were loaded before heading out.

Once he made his way out of the hospital Harry stopped and stared. Just like he'd seen from the windows, the entire town was pitch black. No light appeared besides his own, comparatively weak, flashlight, not even a single star in the sky. He shivered slightly. The lack of light was unnerving. As he walked he noticed other features of this dark version of Silent Hill. The roads were cracked and broken, decayed as everything else was. So were the buildings he approached, looking just as dilapidated. He wouldn't be surprised if one of the buildings collapsed as he watched.

It didn't take long for the radio to begin emitting static, and Harry prepared himself as he heard the snarls of some of the dog monsters.

This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

It took him a couple of hours to reach his destination, the dark version of Silent Hill more monster infested than even the normal version, but he finally arrived with only a few minor wounds. He looked up at the large, rusty sign reading 'Lakeside Amusement Park' that was set over the gate.

"I hope you're here, Cybil." He muttered, and the radio began playing an upbeat song in reassurance. Harry took a deep breath, hefting his rifle securely, and went through the rusty gate, causing a loud screeching sound to ring out. He stopped on the other side, waiting to see if any enemies had been attracted by the noise, but thankfully the radio continued to play upbeat music rather than static. Letting out a small sigh he proceeded to walk further into the park.

He looked around as he walked, observing the various stands and rides, curious. He had never been to an amusement park, after all. He imagined that in the town's heyday the place was probably quite popular with the residents of the area.

He stopped near a bench when his flashlight landed on a figure sitting on it. "Cybil?" He asked, moving closer.

It wasn't Cybil. It appeared to be someone dressed in a costume of the park's rabbit mascot. They were sitting, slumped on the bench, head hanging to the side. Dried blood coated the costume, apparently coming from underneath the mask. Harry shivered slightly as the wide eyes of the mask stared at him.

"Who are you then? One of the ones that Cybil came in after?" He asked. He knew, of course, that he'd likely never know. He sighed, and was about to move on when the radio suddenly began to hiss with static. Harry whirled around, searching for the threat, which proceeded to announce itself with a scream.

A group of children monsters approached as quickly as they could from all around him, shrieking the entire time, the knives they clutched prepared to stab into him. Harry snarled and began to fire on the closest one, blowing its head apart. "I don't have time for you!" His next shots caught the next one in the chest, making it fall to the floor. Harry quickly moved through the gap in the closing circle of enemies and began to take them out once he was no longer in danger of being surrounded.

The fight took several minutes and depleted far too much of Harry's precious ammo, but soon enough the radio once again played the victory music once every enemy was lying dead. Harry sighed in relief as he stretched before continuing to make his way deeper into the park.

He was walking near what a sign said was the 'Borley Haunted Mansion' when there was a sudden noise from it, making Harry jump in alarm and whirl toward it. He stared at the attraction, which suddenly had lights flickering in the windows. He hesitated before making his way towards it. It was as good a place as any to search.

As he drew closer he realized that the building looked surprisingly stable compared to the others he'd seen. The decay that he'd seen in everything else was present, but not as advanced, so Harry didn't feel like he was entering a deathtrap that would collapse on him at any time.

It was most likely a deathtrap in other ways.

He carefully pushed open the door, listening intently for any movement or static from the radio. Once he was in the lit room and had closed the door behind him a voice rang out from a hidden speaker, making him jump in surprise. The radio had lowered its volume to let him hear the voice, though it was still playing music.

"Welcome, dear guest, to the Borley Mansion. Come in and, have a look around." The voice said ominously. Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes slightly at the theatrics, but he knew better than to let his guard down because of them. He glanced around and, not finding anything of note, moved towards the door leading deeper into the attraction.

The next room appeared to be a dining room, darkly lit. The actual dining area was surrounded by a fence covered in police crime scene tape. There was fake blood on the walls and the area around the table was a mess.

"Help… Help…" The voice said, in a pleading tone. Then it continued normally. "Do you hear those voices? A family of four was sliced into bloody pieces in this room. Ah, the cries of the children…" It said wistfully. Harry began to walk along the path to the next door, absently listening to the narration. "The murderer was caught. Do you know why he said he killed his family? 'Because I felt I had to!'" The voice ended in a higher pitch, imitating somebody else's voice. "Anyway, I'm lying." The voice continued, matter of factly. Harry paused and raised an eyebrow. "It's all just a joke. I wanted to scare you, that's all. The truth is, only one person died, by suicide." At the last word, a light behind the window came on, acting as thought it was lightning, displaying the silhouette of somebody hanging from the ceiling against the curtains. Harry rolled his eyes, not scared in the least, finding the cheesy factor amusing, something he very much needed. After a few seconds to see if the voice was going to say anything else, he moved onto the next room.

The next room was a dark office, bookshelves lining the walls. Like the previous room, the majority of this one was fenced off, though there was no police tape this time. Behind the desk there appeared to be a body sitting, facing away from where the audience was. There was no narration this time, and Harry made his way toward the other door to the next room. He reached it and turned the knob, but it wouldn't open. His brow furrowed and he looked around the room. He figured there was something he needed to trigger before it would open. It made sense for this kind of attraction. He made his way to the other end of the path around the room, looking around for anything of interest. He was therefore surprised when a body, hanging upside down, fell from the ceiling right in front of him. He jumped back and automatically raised his rifle, ready to fire, but the body remained motionless. He got his thumping heart under control. "Just a prop." He told himself reassuringly. Then the voice began to speak again.

"That's Danny. A quiet young man, but quite friendly, as you can see." It said as the body swayed slowly from side to side. "He was so eager to meet you. His hometown is New Orleans. But he came here after first losing his way. Oh, maybe you might know? Where is the path to Heaven?" Harry blinked, wondering what the hell that was about. When the voice fell silent he made to turn back to the door, hoping it was open now, when he noticed something about 'Danny's' body. He leaned forward to see if he was right and blanched.

'Danny' was dripping blood.

Harry reeled back as he realized this was a real person hanging in front of him, obviously quite dead. He looked around for what had killed him only to not find anything. He turned back to study the body.

'Danny's' head and shoulders were covered in puncture wounds. Harry didn't know what that meant, but he made a note to keep an eye out for anything above him. Sighing he turned away to the door and opened it, now being able to go through.

The next room was quite dark, and the voice started up almost as soon as the door closed behind him. "This mansion is quite old. So please watch your step." Harry made his way forward. The other side of the room was also fenced off, this time by a much taller fence, making sure nobody would be able to step into the fenced off area. It appeared to be a bedroom, with a bed, a cabinet, and a chair on which a teddy bear sat. "Sometimes the floor suddenly gives way." Hearing that, Harry made his way forward carefully. Suddenly, he heard a loud sound from above and instinctively ducked. That was the only thing that saved his life, as the ceiling had come down. He looked up to find a huge number of rusty spikes covered the lowered ceiling, just barely missing his head. Well, he now knew what killed 'Danny'. Even the radio had fallen silent, and Harry couldn't help but think it was as surprised as he was.

Slowly the ceiling began to move back up with a rumble as the voice spoke again. "I'm so sorry. This place is just falling apart. The mechanism is broken, you see." The voice continued in condescension. "It wasn't supposed to stop _there_ , I assure you." Harry snarled angrily up at the ceiling and quickly made his way to the door to the next room, not trusting for the ceiling to stay up and not try to kill him again. "There's the exit. I hope you enjoyed your tour. Please, come back anytime." Then the voice became more ominous and less cheesy. "Or if you'd prefer, we could come and visit you instead."

Harry quickly opened the door and moved into a dark hallway. The voice sighed. "That was supposed to be the exit." Harry made his way forward. "But it seems that no one wants you to leave." Harry whirled around as a bright red, ominous misty light began to shine behind him, making its way toward him. The radio began to crackle, and Harry suddenly knew without a doubt that he did not want to be touched by that. "Fuck!" He yelled as he turned and began running away. The voice continued tauntingly. "Everyone really likes you. They want you to stay with them forever." Harry ran through the corridor, which turned often. He was sprinting to keep ahead of the misty light. "I have to agree with them. Don't be afraid. Dying is much easier than living."

"Well fuck you. I tend to not take the easy route then." Harry snarled as he reached the door. Hoping he was finally safe he forced it open. He growled when he found himself in another hallway. He began to feel pain and realized that he'd paused for just a second too long. The edge of the red light had reached him, and he could feel it trying to kill him. He quickly resumed sprinting, doing all he could to put some distance between himself and the light. He reached down into his reserves of energy and somehow pulled more up. He could feel it fill his muscles, lending him speed. After several more turns he finally made it to another door and slammed it open, happy to find that he was finally outside of the mansion. He forced the door closed behind him and relaxed as the radio stopped crackling with static.

Harry leaned against the wall, catching his breath. He felt like he'd swam through a sewer. Every part of him felt disgusting. He figured it was an effect of the light that had caught him momentarily. He shuddered to think of what would have happened if he'd stayed in it much longer.

When he finally felt better Harry prepared himself and continued along the path away from the mansion attraction, heading deeper into the park. He was upset that he'd wasted time in what was now obviously a trap devoid of Cybil and was determined to make up for lost time.

A half hour and several dead child and dog monsters later, Harry was beginning to feel a bit helpless. He'd searched a not insubstantial amount of the park and found nothing but a few more bodies dressed in rabbit costumes. He slowly made his way towards the carousel, wishing he had a map of the park itself, when he saw a shape standing among the fake horses. "Cybil?" He asked tentatively.

The figure didn't move, but he did hear a croaked "Harry?"

Harry rushed forward, slipping his pistol, which he had been using, into its holster. "Cybil!" He cried happily. She turned towards him, and he barely had time to take in her anguished expression when the radio suddenly blared static in warning and Cybil raised her revolver jerkily, aiming it at him. He yelped and dodged behind one of the decaying horses as she fired, barely missing him. "Cybil, what are you doing!?"

"I… can't… help it!" She cried, firing again, hitting Harry's cover. "Harry… run! Please… I can't… control myself!" Her next shot almost got him in the leg, and he rushed out of cover to a low wall, slamming his back against it. He absently heard the sound of something cracking in his bag, but paid it no mind.

"Cybil, I can't just leave you. We'll fix this, I promise!" Harry yelled back. Another shot hit his new cover.

"You can't." Cybil practically sobbed. "I'm… not in control… anymore!" Another shot. "I'm just… a puppet! Please… Harry… end it!"

Harry peeked out over his wall. "What are you talking about, Cybil!"

"Harry… please… kill me!" She yelled at him as her body jerkily reloaded her weapon after her next shot even as she moved closer.

Harry felt the blood freeze in his veins. "What!? Cybil, I… I can't!"

He could hear her sob lightly. "Harry… Don't force me… to live… like this... I'd rather… be dead… than a puppet… for a monster!" She fired again, just barely missing harry this time, so close he could feel the wind as the bullet moved past. "Especially… if I… kill you. Please… stop me."

Harry was clutching his pistol, but there were tears in his eyes. "Cybil…" He croaked, agonized.

"Kill me!" She cried. Another shot even as she moved closer. "Kill me!" Another shot. "KILL ME!" She screamed in despair.

Harry quickly moved out of cover, aimed his pistol, and hit Cybil in the shoulder, trying to disable her without killing her. The bullet opened a wound in her shoulder, making her scream, but to his shock it seemed to do nothing otherwise. He barely managed to duck back into cover before another shot from her blew his brains out.

"No… Harry… That won't… do anything…" Cybil moaned as she adjusted her aim, the freely bleeding wound not affecting her in the slightest. "You need to… stop me…"

Harry moved to a new piece of cover, barely dodging another shot that would have gotten him in the gut. He aimed his pistol and this time hit her in the leg, hoping to send her to the floor where he could restrain her. Once again, it made Cybil scream in pain, but didn't do anything besides that.

"I can't." Harry choked out. "I can't kill you, Cybil."

"It's alright… Harry… It'll be… a mercy… Please… end this… torture…" She said.

Harry bit his lip, choking down a scream of impotent rage. His shoulders finally slumped and he came out of cover, once more taking aim. Before Cybil could fire Harry took his shot, hitting Cybil in the chest. She jerked back, but remained standing, so Harry shot again, hitting her once again. She still wouldn't go down, however, and Harry was forced to shoot her once again. Finally, her revolver fell from nerveless fingers and she dropped, first to her knees, then onto her side.

Harry quickly rushed to her side, dropping his own gun. He turned her onto her back. "Just… just relax, Cybil… You're…" He wiped a tear from his eye. "You're going to be fine." He quickly started rooting around in his supplies for bandages.

Cybil coughed up blood. "It's… It's alright, Harry." She smiled up at him. "You just… get yourself out of here."

Harry hurriedly pulled things out of his bag. A roll of bandages was yanked out, and with it the vial of red liquid he'd gotten in the hospital fell out. He absently noted that it was cracked, droplets of red liquid escaping it. He didn't manage to catch it before it fell and shattered on top of Cybil, covering her in the liquid.

He froze when Cybil suddenly went rigid before her back arched, and she began to thrash in spite of her wounds. Before he could react whatever happened ended and she relaxed. He was about to say something when he noticed that something red was appearing at her uninjured shoulder. It took him a moment to remember that it was the area she was bitten in earlier. He pulled her shirt to the side to see a red liquid, darker than blood, leaving the earlier wound. Once the last drop left Cybil seemed to relax even more.

"I can't… I can't feel the thing that took over my body anymore…" She smiled in relief. "I'm so glad… I get to die a free woman…"

Harry, on the other hand, was horrified at the realization that he'd had the means to free Cybil from whatever was influencing her the entire time. "No." He grew angry in denial. "No!" He drew his wand and Cybil's eyes widened. Before she could stop him he shouted "Episkey!" Agony slammed into him, filling his entire body, but he grit his teeth against the pain, focusing on the wounds despite everything telling him it wouldn't work. From what he'd read Episkey was only for minor wounds, and he didn't know anything stronger.

The wounds shrank by a minuscule amount, but Harry could tell it was only the skin and a bit of muscle that was affected. Her damaged organs were unaffected. In spite of this he tried again, the pain agonizing, but he ignored it to focus on Cybil.

"Harry, please, stop. Whatever you're doing, it's too late. I can tell." Cybil said softly.

Harry stopped and his shoulders slumped, his head hanging. "Cy-Cybil… I'm… I'm sorry…" Tears began to escape from his eyes.

Cybil looked at him, her breathing more labored now. "It's alright, Harry."

Harry shook his head furiously. "No, it's not! I could have saved you! But now…" He stared at the wounds covering her torso. He had no idea how she was still alive with the amount of damage he had caused. He didn't doubt it wasn't going to last long.

Cybil smiled at him and reached up to ruffle his hair weakly. "You did save me, Harry. I couldn't have handled staying the way I was." She coughed again, blood leaving her mouth.

"But you heard those two mad women. You're still going to be stuck here." Harry said, barely keeping himself from breaking down.

"Not for long." Cybil said as her breathing became worse. She didn't have more than a minute left, and they both knew it. "Because… you're going to get out. And you're going… to get help… And you'll stop Samael… and free me. I know you will."

"Cybil…" Harry whispered, pained.

"Promise me, Harry. Promise me… that no matter what… you'll get out." She glared at him weakly. "Promise me!"

Harry bit his lip but nodded. "I promise, Cybil."

Cybil smiled. "Good kid. No matter what comes next… I can rest easy knowing that." Her eyes fluttered. "See you later, Harry."

Harry tried to smile and failed miserably. "See you later, Cybil." He gathered her into his arms and held her gently as the life left her body.

He sat there for what seemed like hours, radio respectfully silent, mourning the friend he had failed.

* * *

Harry stood in the cemetery he and Cybil had looked to for a way out, her revolver strapped to his side. The world had changed to being full of fog rather than decay while he had been holding Cybil without him even noticing. Now he had reached his destination, and was staring at the path he had originally taken to get into Silent Hill along the shore of the lake.

The entire path was crawling with the demonic cockroaches that had infected Cybil with the thing that had led to her death. There was no way he would be able to get through without being bitten multiple times, which would end up causing the same thing that had happened to her. There was no way out for him through here. Samael had outmaneuvered him again.

Harry clenched his fist so hard he bled before he relaxed. "That's it then."

The radio began to play a short burst from a song he only vaguely recalled hearing before about not giving up. It was apparently worried that was exactly what he was doing.

"You don't need to worry about me, buddy. I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it." He shook his head. "No, this just leaves me one path open to saving not just myself but Cybil and everybody else trapped in this hell." He turned and began to walk away, back straight and face determined. "Samael, if you can hear me… I'm coming for you."

And he walked back into the fog filled streets of Silent Hill.

* * *

 ** _To everybody that expected/wanted Cybil to survive… sorry._**

 ** _I always planned for her to die the way she did. It's an important moment for Harry. Now he is no longer working on merely surviving and escaping. Now he's focused on beating Samael. It should come to a head in the next chapter, which should be the end of the Silent Hill arc, unless I decide to split the chapter up for some reason. Which I don't intend to do._**

 ** _Also, I don't know why, but this chapter seems shorter than usual to me for some reason, despite being about the same. Wonder why?_**

 ** _For those who thought that the bloody note was cliché… Yeah, it was, I'm well aware of that. But how else was I supposed to point Harry in which direction to go?_**

 ** _The haunted mansion attraction I added in as I needed to have something happen in the amusement park besides just the events with Cybil, and I found the entire event interesting when I saw it in the Silent Hill wiki so decided to add it. (I never played SH3, so I watched a Youtube video of a runthrough of the mansion to see what happened)_**

 ** _Hope at least some people caught the allusion I made to the aftereffects of Harry using the power he was drawing from. I made it slightly obvious, but didn't want to hit anybody over the head with it._**

 ** _This chapter got done surprisingly quickly. I need to decide if I'll write a new chapter of my RWBY fic or start my Chrono Trigger novelization for the rest of this week. Well, whatever the case, keep an eye out for my next stuff._**

 ** _Next chap of this should be next week. I want to think on what I want to happen, since I not only need to deal with Samael but also with Pyramid Head and the two crazy ladies._**

 ** _I can't think of anything else to add. Please leave a review on the way out. I always look forward to peoples' opinions. Laters._**


	7. Torment's End

A week after Harry became trapped in the town of Silent Hill, he gazed at a street that, according to his map, led to the location that he believed contained Samael's physical form and his link to the mortal plane.

Harry looked quite different than he had a week ago. He was far too thin and rather gaunt, a result of literally not eating anything since his arrival. The only reason he was still functioning was because he continued to draw on what he now knew to be the demonic energy permeating Silent Hill. He didn't know how, but he'd been using that energy to keep himself going since the very beginning, and it showed mostly in his hair, which now had streaks of white.

From what he could tell from the last time he looked in a mirror, he looked rather deranged. It actually reminded him of Sirius when he first met him.

He hadn't been idle during the week he'd spent in this hell, however. He'd spent nearly the entire time searching for information on Samael, how he had been summoned, and how to potentially banish him. To do so he'd searched every corner of the town he could think of, and found scraps of information left behind by the cult that Claudia and Dahlia belonged to.

The best sources of information came from the women themselves, however.

* * *

A couple of days after Cybil's death Harry was resting in a strip club called Heaven's Night. He'd only recently had a run in with the damn pyramid headed thing and he needed to catch his breath now that he was safe, the radio playing some Megadeath for him.

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet, Cybil's revolver ready to fire, as he heard the door open. The radio didn't spit out any static, though it did stop playing music, as he saw that the new arrival was one of the women he'd met in the school when Cybil got bitten. He struggled to remember her name as she stared at him with her unnerving gaze.

"Claudia…" He said once he finally remembered, utter loathing in his voice.

"I saw the Shadowed One pass nearby and knew you must be close. I admit myself surprised that you have managed to live this long. I don't believe any previous inhabitant managed it." Claudia said calmly, her eyes steady even as the barrel of Harry's gun was pointed at her chest.

Harry truly, desperately wanted to shoot the woman, but he restrained himself. He needed to get as many answers as possible, and he decided to begin with the topic she had just brought up. "What the hell is a Shadowed One, exactly?"

Claudia continued to gaze at him, pondering, before speaking. "I suppose it does not matter if I tell you. None have managed to stop a Shadowed One before, even when they knew how it worked. It is best you understand now lord Samael's power before you join the town permanently." She began to pace, her bare feet padding softly on the wooden floor. "A Shadowed One is different to the normal servants lord Samael creates by using the souls of the inhabitants with the conduit. It is not created by him, but by the heart of an especially powerful soul. It is a darker part of that soul given form. Once it has been created, it hunts down the source of its existence and, well, puts it out of its misery." Claudia smiled, her eyes once more glinting with madness. "So you see, _you_ created the Shadowed One. It was born of something about yourself you deny. Hatred. Envy. Guilt. These things and more can bring it into existence." She stopped pacing. "In essence, you will kill yourself. And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it."

Harry, who had kept his gun trained on Claudia the entire time, silently took her explanation in. "How do I stop it then?"

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought the woman might have raised a hairless eyebrow. It was hard to tell. "Do you truly believe I would tell you that? I told you what it is so you'd understand the futility of struggling against lord Samael's glorious power. Not so you could beat it. How exactly do you think you would destroy something made up of the darkest emotion you felt at the time you set foot in his domain, child? Give it a hug?" She looked amused at the thought. "No, all you can do is accept your fate and die with dignity for lord Samael's glory."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I don't intend to die with dignity in this town. You want me to die, I'll go kicking and screaming." He smirked nastily. "I won't go gentle into that good night. I'm the type to, how did it go? 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light'."

Claudia looked at him coolly. "The light died here long ago, boy. And soon it will be snuffed out in the rest of this world. Only lord Samael's will shall remain, and those who devote themselves to him will be rewarded."

Harry actually laughed derisively. "If you think someone like Samael is the type to reward people with anything other than torment, you're seriously deluded."

The woman gazed at him with lofty scorn. "What would a faithless outsider know of the way the greater powers work?"

"I might be faithless, yes. I know that greater powers can't be counted on when it really matters. I've only made it this far through guts and luck, not divine intervention." He chuckled softly, still smirking even as the radio began to crackle again. "Besides, it's not like your lord is going to save you."

Claudia's eyebrows somewhat rose. "You intend to kill me?"

"You bet your ass I do." Harry said with a nod, ignoring the increasing volume of the radio's crackling even as heavy, thudding footsteps could be heard outside, along with the sound of something being dragged.

"Lord Samael won't let you harm one of his devoted servants." She said with certainty.

Harry kept eye contact with her even as the door was smashed open by the pyramid head. "Let's see who's right then." Before he could fire at her the monster swung its huge blade at him and he was forced to dodge.

Claudia moved behind the monster as Harry made his way to a window in order to get out that way. "I told you, boy, lord Samael will allow no harm to come to me."

Harry didn't have a clear shot at Claudia with his revolver anymore, and he was running out of time before he had to jump out the window. Instead he pulled his wand out of his pocket and aimed at the woman with a glint in his eye, prepared for the inevitable pain. "Incendio!"

It took a few moments for Claudia to realize what was happening, but then she screamed as her dress, followed shortly afterwards by her long hair, was engulfed in flames. Harry held it as long as he dared, the agony caused by the action ignored as best he could, till he was sure she'd been completely engulfed in flames. Then he threw himself at the window just as the monster's blade swung past, nearly bisecting him, and climbed out with Claudia's screams ringing out behind him.

As he ran down the street he looked back to see the entire building begin to catch fire, and felt satisfied as he made his escape.

* * *

A few days after he killed Claudia Harry was walking down a fog filled street, doing his best to ignore the pain in his stomach from not eating in days. He was searching for the next location that could give him new information on the happenings of the town before Samael was summoned.

A couple of flying monsters had tried to impede his way, but Harry had grown used to fighting the various nasties of the town and dealt with them in short order. He was pretty sure Samael must be getting aggravated with his refusal to lie down and die, a fact which helped cheer the teen up.

Anything to make his tormentor's day worse was welcome.

He finally saw his destination: The building holding the offices of the town's newspaper, the Silent Hill Gazette. Quickly making his way inside with his machete clutched in his fist due to his desire to conserve ammo at the moment, he looked through the entire building for enemies before relaxing and beginning his search, the radio playing some Blind Guardian as background music for him.

He spent an hour going through the archives, especially the last issues of the paper that were printed before everything went to hell. He began to see a pattern involving children going missing, along with a place called the Wish House Orphanage going up in flames only a day before the last issue was published. All in all, it painted a rather bleak picture for exactly what kind of ritual was performed by Samael's cult.

Harry heard the sound of soft footsteps behind him before a voice spoke. "I saw you come in here, boy. You will pay for what you did to Claudia."

Harry turned, unconcerned, to find the old woman, Dahlia, behind him, a dark look on her face. He ignored her statement and held up the yellow paper of the issue of the Gazette detailing the fire at Wish House. "You used children to bring Samael through, didn't you?"

Dahlia adjusted her shawl before responding. "They opened the way to our lord, and are exalted because of it. The lesser ones, the ones who held no true power within their souls, even they had their place in the rituals. The ones with power, however, they were instrumental. The energy they unleashed as the blood left their bodies strengthened the glorious one, the conduit, into a presence that could open the gate." She scowled. "If only the foolish girl hadn't fought it, then the spread of lord Samael's influence would have increased by now."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "So whoever was the main focus of the ritual fought back and screwed your plans up?" He smirked. "That's a good kid. I'd like to meet them."

His radio, which had gone silent with Dahlia's arrival, piped up with the sound of a woman singing 'good girl' before going silent.

Dahlia sneered. "Still, it matters not. You have provided us the means to correct the error. Once you are dead, I will be able to assist lord Samael with accelerating his planes many times over. Soon, this ugly world will finally know paradise."

Harry looked at her, amused. "You're going to kill me, you old bat?"

"No." Dahlia said nastily. The radio suddenly let out a screech of static in warning as the pyramid head burst through the door once again, something Harry was growing annoyingly used to. "He will. I told you, I saw you come in. So I made sure to lead the Shadowed One to you. It shall end your struggling once and for all."

Harry dove down a hallway as the monster swung its giant cleaver at him. "I'm really getting tired of you, you fucking asshole!" He yelled as he ran through the building, thinking furiously.

Ever since Claudia had told him what the Shadowed One was he'd been trying to figure out how to stop it permanently. From what he understood, it was created and sustained by him, so only he could make it stop. He'd thought about what was empowering it. What had he been feeling when he arrived in Silent Hill, before he knew about the monsters?

He'd come to a realization about exactly what that was not long ago. Now he needed to face it. So once he'd run a lap of the building and ended up near an amused looking Dahlia again, the monster following close behind, he stropped and turned to it.

"Okay buddy, I know what made you, and I fucking refuse to let you haunt me anymore, physically or metaphorically." The pyramid head seemed to stop, confused. Harry took a breath and stared at it, firmly. "When I arrived here… I had just killed several people. Evil people, to be sure, but I'd still killed, and the shock was only just wearing off. So I guess I felt guilty about what I did, especially as it reminded me of my role in my godfather's death." The monster took a step forward, but Harry gazed at it fearlessly despite the radio screeching at him to run. "What happened with Cybil made it worse. Even now I can't help the pain of the guilt of killing her instead of saving her." Another step. "I accept it now. I accept that guilt which I will carry around for the rest of my life. My guilt at the death of Sirius. My guilt at the death of Cybil. My guilt at the deaths of the people I fought. And even the guilt at the deaths I will cause in the future." His eyes hardened. "Because I will kill again. Because some beings, human or not, cannot be allowed to continue." The monster had stopped. "I will deal with it. I will face it head on. And I won't let it drag me down any longer." Harry took a deep breath and raised his arms to his sides, prepared. This was the moment of truth. "You have no power over me anymore. So take your best shot."

Pyramid head raised its weapon, ready to cut Harry in two. Then it swung… and sank the blade into the floor in front of him when he refused to even flinch. They remained motionless for the longest time, even the radio having fallen silent, before the monstrous representation of Harry's guilt drew its blade back, swung it around… and impaled itself on its own weapon, killing itself.

Finally, the monster was dead, and would no longer haunt Harry.

Harry let out a breath, feeling liberated, before turning to Dahlia, who was staring in shock, with his back straight and gaze steady.

"I-Impossible. You couldn't possibly have stopped a Shadowed One." She said, shakily.

Harry gazed at her. "I just did." Then, without warning, he drew his revolver and shot Dahlia in the gut. The cultist fell back with a cry, falling to the floor. Harry walked over to her as she glared up at him.

"Y-you… b-blasphemer…" She groaned through the pain.

"Monsters who torment children for their own twisted ends don't have any room to talk about blasphemy." Harry said grimly. "Like I said to big ugly, some things can't be allowed." He raised his gun again, aiming between her eyes. "Goodbye, you old bat. May you spend a long time in hell with your 'god'."

Dahlia glared defiantly up at him. "Lord Samael… will punish you!" She cried.

Harry fired, ending the madwoman's life. "He can try."

* * *

Harry shook his head, pulling himself out of his memories. The time had come to finally end this, one way or the other. Either Harry would win, stopping Samael's plans, or he'd fail and die.

Obviously he was aiming for the former.

He had a decent idea of what to do. His main focus had to be to find the conduit Claudia and Dahlia had mentioned, the link Samael had with his main source of power in whatever realm he resided in. He'd have to play it by ear from there.

As he began walking down the foggy street the radio began playing a song that made Harry smirk and sing along. "I'm the Hand of God… I'm the Dark Messiah… I'm the Vengeful One…~" He sang, with a glint in his eye and a smirk on his face, pumping himself up. He ignored the monsters he passed as he walked down the middle of the street, all of them gathered on the sidewalks, 'watching' him. Samael was apparently expecting him and had decided to deal with him himself.

Before long he reached his destination, looking up at it. It was a large church which his map called the Church of the Holy Way. It was an ugly gothic building that gave off an ominous air.

Harry didn't even blink when the now familiar air raid siren began to sound and the town began to change. The sky darkened into blackness as everything around him began to decay. Everything, that is, besides the church. Harry watched it intently, but even as everything else shifted nothing about the church changed.

Once the change was completed Harry stepped forward, unslinging his rifle and holding it securely as he opened the door. He carefully stepped forward into a large, well illuminated room where the sermons were held. An odd design was embedded into the floor that Harry could only assume held some sort of significance to the cult, easily visible as all the pews had been removed, leaving the room empty. That wasn't what drew his attention, however.

At the other end of the room, at the altar, was a girl of about fourteen held bound, eyes wide and roving and mouth held open in an endless, soundless scream. Her dark brown hair was hanging slightly over her blue eyes, and she wore some sort of ritualistic robe which Harry at first thought was brown but then realized only looked that way because it was completely covered in dried blood.

Even as Harry watched, the girl's muscles could be seen spasming, giving an indication as to the agony she was continually in. If he had to guess, he'd say her torment hadn't ceased for even a second in twenty years.

"So… Aren't you going to come out and greet me, Samael?" Harry asked as he stepped further into the room. He stopped when he caught movement from behind a large confessional which stepped into view, interposing itself between himself and the girl.

It was the very definition of wrongness. Harry couldn't really get a handle on what it was, as its form shifted continuously, but it was never not horrifying to look at. Some of the only constants were that its flesh looked warped and diseased and its limbs were rough and misshapen. Then it spoke from a mouth that should not have been capable of it, sounding quite normal. "Hello, Harry. Good of you to come. I've been looking forward to our meeting since Dahlia informed me that you could help me fix a problem I've had."

Harry set his rifle on his shoulder nonchalantly, though every part of him was tense. "Samael. I'd say it's a pleasure, but that would be the greatest lie told on any world in all of existence. Trust me, though, I won't be doing anything to help you."

Samael, somehow, seemed to grin. "Ah, but Harry, you already have. You brought me just what I need." He lifted a currently twisted and bent arm and pointed what could only be generously be described as a finger at… Harry's radio, which had been silent since the door opened.

Harry was confused, though he felt a pit begin to form in his stomach. "Why would you need my radio?"

In response, Samael gestured to the tormented girl on the altar. "Like it? That's Alessa. Alessa Gillespie, dear Dahlia's daughter." He turned back fully to Harry. "Alessa is the conduit, my connection to my full self in my realm. This form you see before you is, after all, only a sliver of my full might that has been projected through Alessa's soul."

Harry growled. "So you get power from torturing the poor girl, letting your power through?"

"Her pain is incidental, and is her own fault." Samael said dismissively. "You see, Alessa was chosen because her soul was uncommonly strong, able to channel great energy. It's different from the magic you wand wavers use. It's something much more primal, and… useful." The ugly, mismatching eyes Samael was staring at Harry with narrowed. "But she fought the ritual and worked to limit the amount of power I would be able to bring to bear from my full self at a time, her rage and spite at her mother and the rest of her order driving her." The fallen snarled angrily. "The amount of power I can project into this world without using other souls is dependent on how much I can channel through her soul. So to hinder me she ingeniously, and to great agony to herself, split her soul into two pieces. One piece remains in her body and is what I channel my power through. The rest…"

"…Is in the radio…" Harry finished in horror, his hand reaching down to rest his hand on the device. He had wondered why, out of everything in Silent Hill, his radio was the only thing trying to help him survive. Now he had his answer.

Samael somehow managed to grin. "Yes… She was a clever girl, putting the greater portion of herself out of my reach. Somehow what remains in her body hid the rest from me, but now you've brought the rest of her back. I'd say you hold about eighty percent of her soul in that device, and once I reunite the two pieces, I will then be able to draw even more power without relying entirely on the souls I have collected. That will allow me to spread further immediately." Samael began to laugh. "So I must thank you, Harry! You have brought my plans to fruition so much faster than I intended with your foolish desire to defeat me."

Harry got over the revelation and glared at the fallen. "You're assuming you'll be able to get her. I'm not letting you touch her. I'm going to beat you and destroy your foothold."

"You won't be able to do anything, Harry. It would take a full angel or a demi-god to defeat me now, and you are an average, wand waving human. Anybody would bet on you being unable to do anything to truly hinder me, myself included."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I'll take that bet. You'll see just what an average human can do."

Samael rolled his now multiple eyes. "And what makes you think you have a chance?"

To Harry's surprise Alessa's radio piped up before he could, singing an upbeat "Victory is in a simple soul!~"

Harry gazed down at the device before grinning and looking up at Samael with determination. "What she said." Then he swiftly brought his rifle down and fired at Samael's misshapen form. The bullet slammed into the constantly shifting mass but didn't do anything as the fallen began to stalk forward, the ends of his limbs growing claws. Harry dodged to the side, firing again, but it once more did nothing to his opponent. He moved away, firing at the monstrous form, trying to slow it down, but Samael seemed to not take any notice of Harry's attacks.

Samael, apparently tired of Harry's dodging, lifted his arm and launched a bolt of electricity. Harry hadn't been expecting it and got caught in the arm, crying out and falling back. He looked at his arm and saw that it was covered in burns, so he tried something that he'd only tentatively done before.

Harry focused on the demonic energy he was constantly using to sustain himself and began to purposefully draw on more of it, focusing it on his injured arm. The result was that the burn began to heal quickly, but not without a large amount of pain. He managed to finish the process right as Samael was about to smash his head in and he quickly threw himself back, barely avoiding being flattened, but saw that his rifle had remained where he'd dropped it and was now bent due to Samael's attack.

Harry drew Cybil's revolver and began to get up when he suddenly froze while on his knees, unable to move.

"Harry, did you really think I was unaware that you've been using MY power to keep yourself going?" Samael asked sardonically as looked at the teen in evident amusement. "No, I could tell whenever you drew on it. Did you think there were no consequences for your actions? For stealing power from me?"

Slowly Harry's arm began to move on its own, bringing the revolver up. His arm shook as he struggled to keep it from doing so, but slowly it moved to point the barrel of the revolver under his chin.

"There are always consequences, Harry. Don't worry. You put up a… decent, fight. But it's over."

Suddenly the radio began to play.

 _There's a day when all hearts will be broken_

 _When a shadow will cast out all light_

 _And our eyes cry a million tears_

 _Help won't arrive_

Samael laughed. "See, Harry? Even Alessa has given up! Just let go. You've lost."

 _There's a day when all courage collapses_

 _And our friends turn and leave us behind_

 _Creatures of darkness will triumph_

 _The sun won't rise_

Harry grit his teeth as his finger struggled to squeeze the trigger, fighting Samael's will every step of the way. "You clearly… Don't know the meaning… Of that song…"

 _When we've lost all hope_

 _And succumb to fear_

 _And the skies rain blood_

 _And the end draws near_

Harry glared defiantly at his enemy as the trigger was slowly squeezed, sweat trailing down his brow from the strain. Samael's lone eye widened in anticipation. Finally, there was a bang as the revolver went off.

 _I may fall_

 _But not like this: it won't be by your hand_

 _I may fall_

 _Not this place; not today_

 _I may fall_

 _Bring it all, it's not enough to take me down_

 _I may fall_

Samael roared as he clutched at his eye, more in rage than pain, as Harry jumped up and took aim, firing again.

 _There's a place where we'll stand outnumbered_

 _Where the wolves and the soulless will rise_

 _In the time of our final moments_

 _Every dream dies_

"You miserable wretch! Just die already!" The fallen roared, sounding more bestial than before. Harry merely kept firing.

 _There's a place where our shields will lay shattered_

 _And the fear's all that's left in our hearts_

 _Our strength and our courage have run out_

 _We fall apart_

"I refuse! You hear me, Samael!? I refuse to fall to a parasite like you! If I have to fight you till the end of fucking time, I will!" Harry roared back in defiance.

 _When we lose our faith_

 _And forsake our friends_

 _When the moon is gone_

 _And we've reached our ends_

 _I may fall…_

As a guitar solo started Samael let out a scream and charged at Harry while he was trying to reload, lightning engulfing his horrifying form. Harry dropped the revolver and quickly drew his wand, casting a shield at the last second, which the fallen slammed into, forcing Harry back.

 _There's a moment that changes a life when_

 _We do something that no one else can_

 _And the path that we've taken will lead us:_

 _One final stand_

Harry knew this couldn't continue. He moved away and began peppering the monster with all the offensive spells he knew, completely ignoring the usual pain as he tried to think of what to do. Finally he spotted Alessa's body, still twitching in agony. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

 _There's a moment we'll make a decision_

 _Not to cower and crash on the ground_

 _The moment we face our worst demons_

 _Our courage found_

Samael roared and swiped at Harry, who dodged back. However, he didn't move far enough, and the horrible limb hit his wand, shattering it pieces. Harry ignored this and grabbed his machete before boosting his strength with demonic energy and stabbing downward, piercing one of Samael's feet and pinning him to the floor.

 _When we stand with friends_

 _And we won't retreat_

 _As we stare down death_

 _Then the taste is sweet_

Harry ran as Samael screamed with fury, headed straight for Alessa. He grabbed the girl's face surprisingly gently and gazed into her unfocused eyes. "I hope this works." He focused everything he had in what he needed, willing his magic to respond, ignoring the fact he had no wand to channel it. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he saw, in his mind's eye, a diminished light of the portion of Alessa's soul in her body, writhing in torment as black lighting hit it in a constant barrage.

 _I may fall_

 _But not like this: it won't be by your hand_

 _I may fall_

 _Not this place; not today_

 _I may fall_

 _Bring it all, it's not enough to take me down_

 _I may fall_

Harry reached out a metaphorical hand to the tormented soul. The piece of soul shrank back in fear, but Harry continued to reach out to her, and hesitantly Alessa reached back, in spite of Samael's power trying to stop her. Once he had a grip on her he wrenched the rest of her soul out of her body and slammed it into the radio, where it joined with the rest of her. The he took the now full soul and launched it out into the streets of Silent Hill to hide in a random object he had come across, hiding Alessa from Samael once again.

 _I may fall_

 _I may fall_

 _I may, I may fall…_

The radio went silent, and Harry blinked, coming back to his senses to see Alessa's body slumped over, eyes empty and unseeing, no longer twitching in agony despite seeing her chest continue to move in and out. Her body was still alive, but her soul was now safe. Harry smiled and turned back toward Samael… only to receive a huge, long spike to his belly which escaped out his back and lifted him into the air, courtesy of an enraged fallen angel.

"YOU LITTLE WRETCH!" The fallen roared. "YOU'VE BROKEN MY LINK TO MY FULL SELF!"

Harry couldn't help but give his enemy a bloody grin. "Fuck you too."

Samael snarled. "It doesn't matter. You haven't won. I'll just replace Alessa with you. You'll do as a conduit, and you'll suffer eternally while helping me conquer this world. This is only a setback."

Harry's head lolled back, his strength leaving him. If Samael thought it would be that easy to use him as a conduit, he had another thing coming. A humorous thought entered his head as his consciousness started fading. "Heh, I won the bet…"

"What was that?" Samael snarled.

Harry blinked. Suddenly a piece of obscure trivia Hermione had babbled about back when he'd learned about mythologies being real entered his mind. He managed to raise his head again to stare at Samael in wonder. "I won the bet. I managed to hinder you. You bet I wouldn't be able to." Harry began to laugh, sounding deranged. "I won a wager with a fallen!"

Samael's two eyes widened as he understood what Harry was getting at. "No…"

Suddenly Harry's arms shot out like claws, grabbing onto Samael's misshapen face. "I won! And we set no stakes! So I can demand anything I want of you!" He continued to laugh at the revelation. The fallen roared, but before he could do anything Harry continued. "And I demand… YOUR POWER!"

Samael screamed in rage as dark energy escaped his form and began to flow into Harry. "No! You can't!"

Black markings began to be etched into Harry's skin as the fallen's power entered his body painfully. "Every bit of power you currently have on this plane of existence is now is mine to do with as I wish, without interference from your consciousness!" Harry continued, his teeth grit against the pain as immense power not meant for a human continued to flow into his body and soul, making him feel like he would burst, especially when he felt the power of all the souls Samael had trapped join in. "You will be left with nothing, not even enough to possess the lowest insect!"

"NoOoOooO! yOu WreTCh! YOU wIlL PaY foR THIs!" Samael screamed as his physical form began to dissipate, the corrupted energy continuing to tattoo patterns on Harry's skin as it entered him. Finally, before long, Harry was alone in the silent church, panting as he struggled to deal with the influx of dark power without losing himself, his wounds now completely healed.

His eyes roved as he warred with himself. He had so much power now. More power than Voldemort and Dumbledore combined. He could do anything with this kind of power. Anything he wanted. His mind went to the horrible fates he could visit to those who had harmed him.

He could tell he was losing himself to the darkness he had just consumed. He could feel his mind turning darker. But part of him didn't care. With the power Samael had managed to draw, plus the souls in Silent Hill, nothing could stop him.

Harry began to chuckle darkly, which slowly turned into a laugh. The wizarding world, at the least, could be his, paying for what he'd endured through his life. He deserved it, didn't he?

Still laughing, he brought his head up… and caught sight of Alessa's body, still bound as though crucified. His laughter stopped immediately and his eyes widened. It was as though he'd been doused in cold water.

What the hell was he thinking!? This wasn't who he was! Was he actually considering keeping the souls trapped in Silent Hill for his own use? That was monstrous!

Harry grit his teeth, fighting harder against the darkness that suffused his being. He held too much power, and it was consuming him. He needed to do something before he was lost forever. He closed his eyes, and he focused.

He could sense every soul in the towns under the influence of the fog. Thousands of people, most innocents, trapped and kept from being able to move on for two decades, tormented. With an effort of supreme will and self-control, Harry began to release them. There was no lightshow or image of lights ascending up to heaven like in a movie, but Harry could feel it as the souls rejoiced, moving on to their assigned afterlife, freed. He thought he could even make out a particular soul that burned with pride for him. He even felt an odd, malformed soul stuck to him. Assuming it was something he'd drawn from Samael, he used his power to remove it and send it on as well, though somehow he could tell that particular soul wasn't going anyplace nice, especially considering how hard it fought his efforts.

He opened his eyes as he felt the last soul leave the town, appropriately Alessa's, finally freed from her torment for good. For an instant he thought he saw the figure of a woman in the corner of his eye. In a split second he though she was very pretty, rocking a nineties style goth look with wild black hair. However, when he turned to look, there was nothing there.

He shook his head. His head was still swimming. There was only one thing left to do, as far as he was concerned.

Silent Hill and, by extension, Shepherd's Glen, needed to be destroyed permanently.

He focused his power again, feeling how it flowed throughout the land of the two towns. He was relieved to find that it was more difficult now, which meant he had less power due to releasing the souls. This in turn meant that his mind wasn't in as much danger of being consumed.

He concentrated on what he wanted to have happen, and though he couldn't see it, he knew that it was working from the shaking.

Indeed, miles away, in the empty streets of Shepherd's Glen, everything began to shake. Before long the buildings began to crumble and the streets opened up. Within minutes the entire town had been engulfed in a series of massive sinkholes.

Harry felt satisfied knowing that one den of evil was destroyed and proceeded to do the same to Silent Hill. He felt calm as the entire town shook with what he was doing, the outskirts being the first to fall. Soon the process was underway and he no longer needed to focus on it, so he opened his eyes once again and looked up at the ceiling of the church, which was cracking, about to come down.

He absently wondered if he would die here. If he died now, he'd do so satisfied. He closed his eyes once again as he felt his consciousness begin to fade from the strain of all he'd done, sure he wasn't going to wake up again as he heard the ceiling come down to crush him.

Oh well, it was a good death, at least.

The last thing he felt before his mind shut down for a long while was the feeling of a soft, dainty hand on his shoulder. Then there was nothing.

* * *

 ** _And so we finally reach the end of the Silent Hill arc. I wonder if anybody guessed how it would end. Hope not._**

 ** _I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, at least the latter half. I can't really put my finger on why, though. I might eventually come back to it and make some changes._**

 ** _Once again, the action was subpar in my opinion, but I hope it was good enough. I debated for a while on whether to include the song, but in the end decided to leave it. For those that don't know, the song is I May Fall from the RWBY Vol 1 Soundtrack. It's one of my favorite songs from the entire show._**

 ** _So, Harry now has Samael's dark power within himself, destroying the fallen's foothold in the process. This is obviously going to have long term consequences, both when it comes to his abilities and to his mentality. He's going to need to get some help managing his new, darker impulses before he does anything else. He'll be getting help with that, don't worry._**

 ** _Also, now you know why I chose the cover image for this fic that I did. That's somewhat what Harry'll be looking like from now on. So keep that in mind going forward._**

 ** _Next chapter is going to be the aftermath of what happened. I won't say much more because spoilers, but it'll be mainly lots of talking._**

 ** _In other news, I began my Chrono Trigger novelization, if you want to check it out and leave a review. It's only a prologue for now, but more will come. Okay, end of shameless plug._**

 ** _That's all for now. Please leave a review with your opinion. They make me eager to continue my efforts. Bye._**


	8. Safety

"What can you tell us, J'onn?" A certain man in a bat themed costumed asked his colleague, the rest of the founding members of the Justice League standing nearby as they waited for information.

Fifteen minutes before they had all been in the middle of their weekly meeting when there was a sudden flash of light followed by a body landing on their meeting table. After the initial reaction to a potential attack they realized that the body was a teenager who was in bad condition, if his far too thin form and blood splattered clothes were any indication. So they quickly moved him to the Watchtower's infirmary and hooked him up to an IV to keep the clearly starving boy from getting worse, ready to use some of their more advanced tech if needed.

Now they were trying to figure out who he was and how he got on a satellite station orbiting the Earth. Seeing as he had no ID and was unconscious, their best option was to have their best telepath, J'onn J'onzz, look into his mind to find out what they needed.

The martian was standing over the teen, looking at him intently. Finally he relaxed, though his shoulders slumped slightly, something that worried the others slightly. "First of all, he is not a threat to us, though I recommend moving him to a higher security room in case he reacts badly to waking up in an unfamiliar place and his abilities flare up."

"He's a meta then?" John Stewart asked.

"In a manner of speaking. It would be best if we discuss the rest of what I found out with some members of the League with further expertise so they can help clear some things up. I know Constantine is on the station at the moment, so we should gather him, Doctor Fate and Zatanna for a meeting." J'onn told them.

"So whatever did this to him, it is related to magic." Wonder Woman said, her face slightly hard. Seeing a boy no older than sixteen in such a state had her ready to head out and cause rather grievous harm to whoever had done it.

"Yes. Which reminds me, we should bring Raven from the Titans up as well. She might have some insight." J'onn continued.

Flash nodded. "I'll go look for the other three and tell them to head to the meeting room while somebody contacts Raven and moves the kid." Without waiting for confirmation he sped off.

* * *

A half hour later everybody was gathered in the meeting room. Constantine was slouching in his seat between Zatanna and Doctor Fate and smoking a cigarette, much to Zatanna's annoyance. Raven sat beside Zatanna with the rest of the Titans gathered behind her, having all decided to join in, which J'onn, as the one organizing the meeting, decided was alright.

Once the last of the participants was seated J'onn began. "Thank you for coming. We have a situation which, being the primary magic users of the League, you have experience and knowledge to assist us with."

Constantine took a drag of his cigarette. "What made you think you needed all three of us to consult?"

Raven piped up in her normal soft monotone. "And why did you call for me? I'm not a member of the League."

"A rather significant event occurred less than an hour ago. This event was mystical in origin. This meeting isn't only so you can advise us on what happened and what, if anything, to do going forward, but also to inform you so you are aware." J'onn said.

"Less than an hour ago…?" Doctor Fate asked. "There was a rather significant surge of power that was felt throughout the globe by those sensitive to magic in that time frame. Are you saying this is related?"

"More than likely." J'onn said.

Shayera was looking impatient. "Could you get on with it, J'onn? What's going on, and how is it related to the kid?"

"Very well." The martian turned towards the room at large. "Tell me, is anybody familiar with the town of Silent Hill, Maine?"

Everybody turned to look at each other, shrugging. The only one who seemed to have an inkling as to what J'onn was talking about was Doctor Fate.

"I had heard something about it many years ago." The helmeted magician said slowly, drawing everybody's attention to him. "About twenty years ago a mysterious fog enveloped the town. Nobody knows what it is or does, but nobody was ever heard from in the town afterwards. Several people and organizations investigated, including MaCUSA, the magical government of the US for wand wavers and those affiliated with them. Many people were sent in with monitoring systems both magical and mundane attached. None returned, and all the monitoring methods simply went dead shortly after entering the fog. Soon afterward, the fog spread to another nearby town, though the name escapes me, and the entire area enveloped by the fog was declared off limits. The fog has persisted since then, never dissipating even for a moment. The only thing known about it is that it is magical in origin."

Everybody was silent, taking that in, though Beast Boy let out a quiet 'Duuude…'. Then J'onn resumed the meeting. "I can tell you what caused the fog." When everybody looked at him in interest he dropped his bombshell. "A cult in the town of Silent Hill managed to summon a Fallen Angel, Samael, to the town. The fog was his domain, and it was spreading."

The effect was immediate. Constantine started coughing, choking on the smoke from his cig, which dropped to the floor. Doctor Fate reeled as though Superman had just decked him in the face. Raven lost her vaunted emotional control to gape at J'onn in shock. And after looking just as shocked as Raven, Zatanna jumped to her feet and slammed her hands against the table. "Please tell me you're joking!"

The others there who did not know why this was such a big deal simply looked at everybody's reactions in concern. "That's never a good sign." Cyborg muttered to Robin, looking worriedly at Raven, who had managed to regain her composure, though she stared at J'onn with laser like focus. Robin could only nod, though he kept himself calm.

When J'onn simply looked back at her calmly, Zatanna slumped back into her seat and let her head rest in her hands. "Oh god, what are we going to do? A Fallen has a foothold, and he's been gathering power for twenty years."

"A team needs to be assembled immediately to deal with this calamity." Doctor Fate said firmly. "I volunteer to head in and deal with this as quickly as possible."

"Are you bloody nuts?" Constantine retorted. "Heading into a Fallen's stronghold is suicide. No, best option is to evacuate the surroundings and then just nuke the place."

"If the fog is the boundary of a dimensional pocket or something similar, a nuke isn't going to do much of anything unless it's carried in by a suicide bomber." Raven retorted. "And even then, the Fallen might have the means to stop the detonation."

Superman stood up. "Alright people, calm down." Once the others stopped talking he spoke again. "Alright, for the uneducated in the room, what are we talking about, exactly? What's such a big threat you're seriously considering nuclear weapons?"

Zatanna was the one to begin explaining. "Alright, Fallen Angels are exactly what they sound like. Angels from the Abrahamic tradition that went bad. They're some of the most evil beings in existence. Not to mention very powerful. I doubt anybody in the League has the power to fight a Fallen one on one. The threat of a Fallen Angel finding its way into our reality is a serious thing."

"How serious are we talking?" Batman asked, body tense.

Constantine took a shaky drag of a new cigarette. "On a scale of one to ten, thirty-seven." He breathed the smoke out. "Anybody in the know about magic that hears about even the suggestion of it happening has to inform the closest magically aware law enforcement. It's international law, not just for the wand wavers, but for the various organizations involved in magic. Breaking that law is life in prison, no excuses."

"But we're not talking about the threat of somebody bringing a Fallen through." Raven said. "Samael has been on this plane of existence for twenty years. That's longer than most heroes have been active. And he is one of the worst of the Fallen. His name means Poison Of God for a reason. All he does is corrupt." She frowned. "I can't understand why he hasn't acted before now beyond capturing a small town, though. After this long he should have more than enough power to do so."

"He's planning something." Doctor Fate said darkly. "That's the only reason I can imagine as to why he hasn't made a move in so long."

"Ah, excuse me?" Everybody turned to see Starfire with her hand up, gazing at everybody innocently. "But, didn't mister J'onn say 'was'? I thought that meant that the evil angel isn't there anymore."

Everybody stared at the young woman before slowly turning to J'onn, who had been waiting patiently. J'onn nodded. "Indeed. Thank you, Starfire. There is no need to worry. Samael has been dealt with. He not only no longer has a foothold, but he's been weakened significantly as well. This is related to the event you all sensed not that long ago."

It took a moment, but everybody there, especially the magical heroes, seemed to sag with relief. "Thank all that is holy." Zatanna sighed with relief.

"How can you be sure though?" Constantine asked, though he was less tense.

J'onn reached down for a folder that had been sitting on the table in front of him, ignored by everybody, and pulled several photos, passing them around. "While we were waiting for everybody to gather for this meeting, I went to our monitoring systems and had the satellites takes these pictures of the area around Toluca Lake, which Silent Hill and Shepherd's Glen were on." Once everybody had a copy of the pictures he continued. "As you can see, there is no fog covering the area any longer, and the land the two towns rested on has been taken up by giant sinkholes which have by now filled at least partway with water from the lake. That serves as proof that Samael has been defeated."

Studying the pictures, Fate asked the question on everybody's minds. "How did this happen?"

"It has to do with our new guest, doesn't it?" Green Lantern asked.

"Guest?" Zatanna asked.

Wonder Woman explained. "About an hour ago a boy of about fifteen appeared out of thin air and landed on the meeting room table. He's obviously been starved and injured, though he currently doesn't have any wounds. He's in a secure wing of the infirmary at the moment. We had J'onn look through his mind, which is what brought about this meeting."

"Yes. Our guest is a survivor of Silent Hill. He was there for about a week."

Raven leaned forward. "He survived a week in a Fallen Angel's territory? On his own?" At J'onn's nod she raised her eyebrows. "Okay, I'm impressed."

"You're not the only one. What's the kid's name?" Constantine asked.

J'onn's mouth curled upwards slightly, wondering what their reaction would be to his response. "He's called Harry Potter."

Constantine started coughing again. "What!? But he's supposed to be dead!"

Flash looked confused. "Who's Harry Potter?"

"He's a big deal in magical circles." Zatanna said. "Magical Britain is in the middle of an ugly civil war. One side is the current magical government. The other is a group of racist terrorists who believe anybody that doesn't have magic is trash that should be enslaved, and even those who do should be second class citizens unless they can trace their bloodlines a certain way back. Harry Potter is practically a messianic figure to the ones that oppose the terrorists. He's the only one to survive after the terrorist leader, Voldemort, attacked them with a one hit kill curse, and word has it he's been fighting Voldemort in some way or another since he was eleven."

"Eleven!?" Diana asked, shocked. "Why would he go after an eleven year old?"

Doctor Fate answered her. "Voldemort sees himself as the greatest wizard to ever live, and he is rather powerful and skilled. However, when he failed to kill Mister Potter when he was one year old, then many people took that as proof that he wasn't unbeatable, and that he could be fought. Obviously, he could not allow that, so he has attempted to eliminate the boy to correct that."

"Why haven't you or the other magical heroes intervened in the war if it's as bad as you say?" Shayera asked seriously.

"Same reason the League doesn't intervene in countries they weren't invited or allowed to. Politics. Wand wavers are a stuck up lot. They don't want anybody that doesn't use their brand of magic getting involved due to pride." Constantine said with no small amount of contempt.

"So Harry is supposed to be dead?" Superman was the one to ask.

"About a week ago his home was attacked. Harry and a young auror, a magical cop, fought the attackers off, killing several, including some highly ranked members of Voldemort's forces. When they were making their escape, though, something went wrong with Harry's magical teleporter, and he disappeared. All magical forms of tracking him, including the ones tied to his very magic, showed him as deceased. So he's presumed dead." Zatanna explained.

"If he somehow wound up in Samael's territory after the teleportation accident, then that would explain the magical trackers not working." Raven said. "And I doubt they're working now that he's out. They're the kind of thing you have to set up manually with the subject present for it. So nobody knows he's alive."

"I recommend we keep it that way, at least for now." J'onn said. When everybody looked at him he continued. "This will allow him time to heal and recover his strength. He will return to Britain when he's ready, I can say that for sure. Besides, his returning immediately would not be a good thing due to how he is mentally."

Everybody nodded in agreement after a few minutes before Batman decided to move things along. "How did he escape from Silent Hill after being stuck there for a week?"

"It was not easy." J'onn said, before proceeding to tell them a condensed version of what happened to Harry during his time in the town. When he explained about the monsters that infested the town, which Harry later found out were created using the souls Samael had trapped in the town, more than one became horrified. He had to stop when he reached the point that Harry was forced to kill Cybil in self-defense, allowing everybody time to take that in.

Starfire was crying softly. "Poor Harry…" Robin, somewhat awkwardly, rubbed her back in comfort.

"I take it that's why he arrived with this?" Batman said, setting a revolver down on the table.

J'onn nodded. "Yes. That belonged to Cybil, and he took it and used it after her death to great effect. I have no doubt it holds great significance to him now." He didn't need to be able to read minds to know that Batman was unhappy about letting a teenager have a gun. "I would suggest giving it back to him, unloaded, so he can have something of hers to remember her by." Batman considered it before nodding.

Then J'onn continued with Harry's realization that he would never be able to get out as long as Samael still had power over the town, and his setting off to find some way to bring him down. He debated omitting the fact that Harry had killed the two cultists, but decided to let them know so they were aware of it. Nobody in the room was happy that a boy of that age had become a killer, but they didn't say anything and let J'onn continue the story. Everybody was especially intent on the confrontation with Samael.

"Wait, what!?" Zatanna shouted, shocked. "He took Samael's power for himself!?"

Constantine was actually looking impressed. "Smart kid, using the wager, even an informal one, to screw a fallen. He has more brains than most wand wavers."

The tale was finished with Harry releasing all the trapped souls, much to everybody's relief.

"Okay…" Beast Boy said after a moment of silence. "This guy is awesome. I vote we make him an honorary Titan immediately. All in favor?" He held up his hand, followed by a chuckling Cyborg and a beaming Starfire. Robin shook his head fondly while Raven rolled her eyes slightly, the adults in the room cracking a smile. "That's a majority, motion passes, dude gets a membership offer as soon as he wakes up."

After that bit of humor, things got back on track. "So you don't know how he got here?" Superman asked.

J'onn shook his head. "He wasn't the one to do it. He was fully prepared to die as the town collapsed around him."

"If I had to guess…" Doctor Fate began. "I suspect a higher power took notice of the event of all the souls being freed and decided to take pity on Harry. Though why they brought him here, I don't know. They might have decided the League was the best place to get help. Especially with his changes."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You don't think taking in that much demonic power as his own is going to come without consequences, do you? His mindset is going to change. I doubt he'll become full on evil, but I don't think he'll remain all that nice. He was already willing to kill from what was said, so he might only become more ruthless now. He's going to need help dealing with those changes so he doesn't lose himself completely."

Zatanna nodded. "She's right. He's also going to need somebody to train him in his new abilities. Though there aren't that many people who use similar energy that I'd trust to do so…"

Flash turned to Raven. "Raven, your abilities are demonic, aren't they?" She pursed her lips slightly at the reminder but nodded. Flash shrugged. "Could you teach him, then? You're probably the most qualified person we know to do so."

Raven kept herself from letting out an instant denial to consider the idea seriously. This was a very important matter, as somebody running around with Samael's power and no control could be a disaster. Finally she sighed and nodded. "I suppose I can try. I'm not sure how successful I'll be, though. I've never tried to teach somebody how to use magic, especially my brand of it."

More than one person smiled at her. "Thanks Raven. We appreciate it." Superman said.

Raven nodded. "We'll need to set up a schedule for me to see him, and find a place we can practice without danger to and from anyone."

Starfire cocked her head to the side. "Why do we not invite Harry to live at Titans Tower with us?" She asked.

Robin looked doubtful. "I'm not sure about that, Star…"

"No, it sounds like a good idea." Cyborg said, Beast Boy nodding beside him. "Raven will need constant access to him in case of any problems, and they can move out into the area around the tower to practice without worrying about wrecking anything."

"Plus, we're the same age as him." Beast Boy added in. "No offence to the League, but if I were him I'd be much more comfortable around people my own age, and most members of the League are adults. So it could help him relax to be with us."

Robin rubbed his chin as he considered it. "Well… As long as we take some security precautions, I guess it's okay…" He looked up at Batman.

Batman considered it before nodding. "We'll keep him here a day or two after he wakes up to keep an eye on his mentality. If we believe you aren't in any danger due to his presence, we'll see if he wants to accept your offer." Robin nodded back as the three behind him let out a cheer.

"Alright, is that everything?" Superman asked J'onn, who nodded. Then he turned to see if anybody else had anything to add before nodding. "Alright, this meeting's over. Thanks for your assistance everybody."

* * *

While the meeting was going on, Harry lay resting in one of the higher security rooms, in a very deep sleep. So nobody was there to notice when a woman suddenly appeared.

She was a beautiful woman with the quintessential goth look. She had wild black hair, dark eyes, one of which had an Eye of Horus tattoo, and full lips covered in black lipstick. She was incredibly pale, but it did nothing to detract from her beauty, only enhance it. Around her neck she wore a silver ankh necklace. He clothes were all black. A black spaghetti strap top, black leather pants with a thick belt with silver studs, and black boots.

She was smiling a beautiful smile as she watched Harry sleep before stepping forward, looking down at him. "I am very grateful for what you did for those souls. It was well past time for them to move on. Bringing you here rather than taking you right then seemed like a small compensation. But you deserve a bit more." She leaned down and gave Harry a gentle kiss on his forehead. Had he been awake, he might have felt a small rush of warm energy entering his body and spreading throughout the entirety.

"There, that should do it. I hope it serves you well." She straightened back up. "I'll see you around, Harry. Oh, and could you see to getting the rest of those other Hallows? I'd prefer it if somebody like you had them." With that she smiled, and the next instant, the room was empty again.

* * *

A little over a month passed with no change in Harry's condition beyond his health improving slightly.

When asked about it, Zatanna explained it like it was obvious. "He absorbed a huge amount of foreign power that he now needs to assimilate into his own. He's most likely sleeping while that goes on, as otherwise it would be… uncomfortable. He'll wake up once he's ready. I don't know how long that'll be though."

Diana sighed slightly as she went to Harry's room to check on him as she usually did. Ever since she heard his story from J'onn, she'd grown to respect the teen greatly, and wanted to make sure he would be okay.

She was in for a shock as she opened the door, however, finding Harry sitting up in his bed and looking around warily. His eyes snapped to her, narrowed. "What…?" Then he stopped, once he took in who was standing in the doorway. "Wonder Woman?" He asked in shock with the scratchy voice of a very dry throat.

Diana walked in carefully, well aware that spooking him right now would be bad. "Yes, that's me, Harry." She slowly walked over to a nearby machine. As Harry watched it dispensed some water into a glass, which she offered to Harry. Harry took it and eagerly drank it down as he thought.

He'd woken up only five minutes or so before, and was incredibly confused. His last memory was of waiting for death as Silent Hill crumbled at his command. Now he found himself in what appeared to be an extremely high tech hospital room. It had made him more than a little wary.

Now, however, he was seeing somebody he never thought he'd meet in front of him; Wonder Woman, one of the founding members of the Justice League, and one of his personal favorites.

He finished drinking the water and handed the glass back to the Amazon, who promptly refilled it and set it down on a bedside table for him to drink at his leisure.

"Where am I? And how did you know my name?" He asked, no longer as tense as before.

Diana crossed her arms. "Well Harry, as to the first question, you are currently in the infirmary of the Watchtower, the Justice League's headquarters. And we know your name because we needed to find out who you were and why you were in the condition you were in when you arrived. So, I'm sorry to say, we were forced to have J'onn, who you might know better as Martian Manhunter, look into you mind and find out."

Harry stared at her. "So you know… everything that…?"

"Everything that happened in Silent Hill, yes." She said softly, gazing at him gently.

Harry turned away, not able to take the look in her eyes. "You know… know what I was forced to do…"

Diana nodded. "Yes." Harry's shoulders shook with shame, so she reached out to gently grasp his shoulder. "And I will say now, I don't think I've met anybody as courageous as you in a long time."

He turned back to her, eyes wide and wet, and Diana's heart cracked at how vulnerable the look in his eyes was. "R-really? Even after… after Cybil?"

She smiled at him. "Especially after Cybil, Harry." She squeezed his shoulder gently. "It would have been so easy for you to give up right then, and instead you got up and fought. You're as much a hero as anybody in the League. Maybe even more than some."

Harry finally had enough. He looked down as his shoulders shook with suppressed sobs and tears fell from his eyes onto the sheets. Now that he was safe, he could let the fear, the horror, the grief, and all the other emotions he'd kept at bay by the barest of margins free.

Diana sat down beside him and without a thought wrapped her arms around him, holding him gently. "It's alright, Harry. You're safe now. You're safe…"

Harry let go of his restraints, and sobbed into Diana's shoulder without reserve as she gently held him, giving what comfort she could.

* * *

 ** _Wonder Woman is one of my favorite comic book characters of all time. If I had to rank them, I'd say Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern are my top 5, in that order. So having her be the one to greet Harry back into the land of the living seemed right._**

 ** _For those of you who think Harry's a pussy for breaking down, fuck you very much. After all the shit he's been through, both canon and not, he has a right to it. And I couldn't think of anybody better to support him than Wonder Woman._**

 ** _I realize this chapter was likely a bit boring. I did mention there'd be lots of talking. The same will be true for the next few chapters as well, as we continue dealing with the aftermath of Silent Hill. Hope you all don't mind much. Things will pick up slightly soon enough._**

 ** _I'm curious if anybody can guess what harry was gifted in that short scene with his visitor. For that matter, I wonder how many people knew who she was. We'll see._**

 ** _I debated on what the story's official song should be. One of my options was Let's Just Live from RWBY. It's a very hopeful song that, as someone with depression, brought a tear to my eye the first time I heard the full song when the Vol 4 soundtrack came out. But in the end, I decided on The Light by Disturbed as the official song of this fic. The message is extremely appropriate, as far as I'm concerned._**

 ** _Next chapter will be Harry interacting with the League and the Titans as he gets used to not being in danger of dying horribly at any moment. Should be entertaining._**

 ** _Please leave a review on your way out. I really do enjoy them. Till next time._**


	9. Back Up To Snuff

It was the day after Harry woke up in the Watchtower's infirmary and Wonder Woman was leading him to the station's cafeteria. Of course, that was after Harry had spent a full five minutes staring in awe at the planet below the first time he passed a window, something that had brought a smile to Diana's face.

Harry was looking forward to getting some real food in his stomach instead of the food he'd gotten in the infirmary which, while not as bad as he'd feared hospital food would be, wasn't exactly great either.

He'd done his best not to stare at the various heroes he passed, but that went out the window when he arrived at the cafeteria and saw the large number of them gathered around, having a meal and a conversation.

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you something to eat." Diana said, gently guiding him to the food. Harry eagerly got a burger, some pizza, and after some deliberation, some buffalo wings, as well as some lemonade, before following her to an empty table, beginning to eat while looking around.

"Oh yeah, I really needed this…" He said with satisfaction as he devoured his pizza.

"The infirmary food wasn't that bad, was it?" Diana asked with amusement.

"Well no. Anything would taste like ambrosia after not eating a single crumb for a week. But this is just so much better." Harry replied with a smile before taking a big bite out of his burger. "I have an entirely new appreciation for food."

Diana chuckled. "Well, be careful not to overdo it now. We want you to get up to a healthy weight, not an obese one." Harry nodded as he ate.

"Hey, Wonder Woman, who's this?" A female voice asked. Harry looked up and almost choked on his food. Two extremely good looking blond girls about his age, if slightly older, were standing there with trays of food, looking at him with interest.

Diana smiled at Harry's wide eyed reaction. "Supergirl, Stargirl, this is Harry. He's our guest for a while as he recovers from some health problems before he heads to live with the Titans for a time."

Supergirl studied Harry, her eyes trailing along the black markings showing on what was visible of his skin. "Nice to meet you. So you're not a new member?"

Harry set his food down and wiped his hand with a napkin. "Ah, no, I'm not. I'm not the hero type, really." The three teens noticed Diana's disbelieving eyebrow raise at those words.

Stargirl smiled. "Looks like Wonder Woman doesn't agree. I wonder why?"

Diana smiled back. "Let's just say Harry has a years-long track record of heroism that I find quite impressive. He's just far too modest for his own good. The Titans are already planning to offer him membership if his time there with them goes well." Harry blushed and looked down and muttered to himself.

"Cool. Maybe one of these days we can see what you're made of. Anyway, see you around." Supergirl gave him a smile and moved to another table with Stargirl.

Harry started eating again slowly before saying softly "You didn't need to say that…"

"I wanted to, Harry. I meant it, you are as much a hero as any member of the League." She smiled teasingly. "Besides, most guys would have liked to be talked up like that to a cute girl."

Harry simply blushed a bit and looked down. "…They were pretty cute…" He mumbled, making Diana chuckle.

"Hey guys." Came a new voice. They looked up to see Flash balancing a large tray laden with a mountain of food to their table. He quickly set it down, grabbed a hot dog, and ate it at super speed. He proceeded to ignore Harry's gaping mouth at the sheer amount of food he had. "How's it going, Harry? Adjusting well?"

"Ah? Uh, yeah, well enough, I guess. It's not like I've been up and about that much yet." Harry said, getting over how much Flash was putting away.

Harry'd first met Flash when Diana had informed the other founders of the League that he was awake and they'd all gathered to see him. He'd been awed and more than a bit intimidated by being around so many well-known and powerful heroes, but Flash had helped his nerves with his light hearted nature, though his jokes could use some work.

"He was especially enthralled by the view from one of the windows." Diana said with a smile.

Flash let out a small laugh. "Oh man, I remember my first time in space. I was amazed! I couldn't stop staring down at the planet or up at the stars for hours. It's great, isn't it?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. And it makes you feel kind of small, doesn't it? Insignificant?"

The two heroes nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Really puts things in perspective for you. Imagine what it must be like for GL, who goes traveling throughout the universe on a regular basis." Flash said with a smile.

"I think I'd like to do that, one day." Harry said, a bit softly. "Just go out and explore. See other planets. Meet alien races…"

Diana smiled. "No reason you can't in the future, Harry."

"I'm already lobbying to have you added to the League when you're a bit older. If you want to join, of course. And if you do you can take part in space based missions that would give you what you want." Flash added with a smile.

Harry looked up at him in surprise. "Really?" At Flash's nod he smiled. "Wow, thanks. I think, I might be interested in that. We'll see how it goes once I finally deal with what's waiting for me in Britain."

"You mean that evil wizard? I can't remember his name…" Diana said.

"Yeah, Voldemort. Or Tom Riddle. That's his actual name, and he hates it. So just call him that." Harry sighed. "I've got a war waiting for me, and who knows how it's going if everybody thinks I'm dead."

Diana and Flash frowned at each other before Diana responded. "Harry, that's not your responsibility. You should focus on healing and getting control of your new abilities."

Harry gave a weak smile as he nibbled on a buffalo wing. "It is my responsibility, though. It's my job to finally kill the bastard. Every minute I don't means I'm responsible for what he does in that time."

The heroes looked pained. "Harry, why do you think that?" Flash asked.

Harry hesitated before answering. "There's a prophecy-" He was cut off by Flash's groan and Diana's sigh and shaking head.

"I freaking hate prophecy…" Flash muttered in annoyance.

"I agree. Harry, are you sure it says you must kill him?" Diana asked.

"'Either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives' is kind of blunt, yes." Harry said morosely.

The Leaguers glanced at each other. "Well… The best thing you can do now is train and heal as best you can for the future. No need to rush things." Diana said.

Harry looked up. "I thought you would have been angry about me apparently needing to kill. You're no kill policy is well known."

"We're definitely not happy about it." Flash said. "But you should know our rules state that lethal force is allowed in self-defense or defense of another as a last resort. If you absolutely have to do it, we won't think less of you."

Harry slumped slightly in relief. "Thanks…" He didn't feel it was a good time to let them know that Voldemort probably wouldn't be the only person he'd end up killing. He'd meant what he'd said to the pyramid headed monster in Silent Hill, after all. Instead he resumed eating, the others bringing up more innocent topics, with Flash and Harry ending up arguing about Quidditch, somehow.

* * *

Later, in the room he'd been provided in the Watchtower, Harry gazed at himself in the bathroom mirror after splashing some water on his face. He was trying to deal with the thoughts that had plagued him all day.

He'd known, intellectually, that his thinking would change as a result of the dark power he now had, which influenced his mind. It was something different to actually experience it, however.

The most obvious way this manifested was how his thoughts went when he encountered a beautiful woman, Wonder Woman included. They might have thought his reactions to Supergirl and Stargirl was due to their looks, and that was partly true. Most of the problem, though, was what went through his mind when he saw them.

Lustful thoughts about a good looking girl were something he expected, as a teenager. However, his thoughts about them had been darker than he was used to.

He wanted to take Supergirl and Stargirl, by force if necessary. He wanted to use his power to leave them helpless and at his mercy, even if they fought against him, and use them however he wanted without regard for their feelings. Indeed, the idea of causing one of them pain in the process of forcing himself on them just made the idea even more attractive.

Those thoughts worried him. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know if he could trust himself around women anymore. Even Wonder Woman had been a subject of those thoughts, after all, and he respected her immensely.

He could only hope whatever training he was going to receive when it came to his powers would help.

* * *

The next day (though it was hard for Harry to tell, being in space), Harry was getting ready to head back down to Earth to join up with the Teen Titans. He had a couple of changes of clothes he'd been given, though he'd been told that the Titans would be taking him shopping for more. He'd tried to argue against that, but they'd ignored his protestations, simply stating that he needed more clothes and that the League could more than pay for it.

He turned when there was a knock on his door to find Wonder Woman and Batman entering, batman carrying a laptop bag with him. "Uh, hello. Sorry, was just getting ready to go."

Diana smiled. "It's okay, Harry. Batman just has something for you."

Harry looked at the intimidating hero curiously as he set the bag on his bed and opened it, pulling out a sleek, shiny laptop. Harry didn't know much about tech due to his time in the wizarding world, but even he could tell it was beyond top of the line.

"This…" Batman began. "Is Wayne Enterprises' latest computer. It has high specs, especially for those who like video games and such. It has six terabytes of storage, which J'onn, with help with several other heroes, filled with games, movies and TV shows they believed you would like. There is still plenty of space for you to add what you want as well." He then pulled out a just as sleek smartphone. "This phone has five hundred gigabytes of space and, just like the laptop, has been filled with music and other media for your enjoyment." He set it on the laptop. "Both devices have been tested by our specialists in magic and confirmed to work in areas high in ambient magic, such as your school, and you will have internet connectivity anywhere in the world."

Harry stared in surprise. "I, just, wow…" He looked up at Batman. "Thanks. You didn't have to…"

Though Batman's stony visage changed very little, Diana smiled. "We wanted to, Harry. Please enjoy them. Also, the phone has a number straight to the Watchtower. If you need assistance, or see something you think the League should deal with, call it. We are trusting you not to abuse it, however."

"Of course! I'll be very careful. You don't have to worry about me using it like people calling 911 because their order in McDonalds was late. I'll only use it in an emergency." Harry said seriously.

Batman nodded. "Good. Just a few more things then." He reached into the bag. "These are yours." He set down a red, plastic radio and a newly cleaned revolver.

Harry stared down at the items, slowly reaching down to run his fingers along them. "H-How…?"

"They arrived with you." Diana said. "Cybil's gun fell on the table by your side. The radio was still clipped to your pants. Once J'onn realized how important they are to you, he made sure they were kept safe. We went ahead and cleaned them for you."

Harry wiped his eyes. "Thank you…" He said softly.

Batman nodded. "Now then, if you're ready, we've got a Javelin ready to take you down to Titans Tower, where they're waiting for you to arrive."

Harry nodded and grabbed his things, following the heroes out. After a bit of walking they arrived in the hanger. Batman and Diana stopped at the ramp of one of the craft Harry could see. "Well, this is it, Harry." Diana moved forward and gave him a hug. "Take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to call if you need us."

Harry smiled and hugged her back. "I will, thanks." Once she'd released him he turned to Batman and held out his hand. "Thanks for the help."

Batman gave his hand a quick shake before motioning him into the aircraft. Harry quickly moved in as they watched.

"Think he'll be alright, Bruce?" Diana asked softly.

"He's a survivor, Diana. The Titans will help him, and he'll be fine." Batman replied.

"I hope so. He's been through enough." She said.

They watched as the Javelin left the hanger and headed down to the planet below.

* * *

Harry was surprised at how fast the Javelin was. Before he knew it he was back in atmosphere and traveling above the United States, headed west. He looked out the window at the land passing by quickly. Soon enough he saw a large, coastal city approach, a rather distinctive giant letter T on an island off the shore. Harry could only assume that was Titans Tower.

His guess was confirmed when the aircraft moved to land on a nearby patch of rock. Harry quickly got up, grabbed his things, and headed down the Javelin's ramp to find the Teen Titans waiting for him. He studied them briefly before setting his things down. "Er, hello. I'm Harry. Harry Potter."

Robin stepped forward, holding out his hand to shake. "Hello, Harry. It's nice to meet you. I'm Robin." After they shook hands he turned to his team and motioned to each in turn. "This is the rest of the team. That's Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven."

"Hello Harry Potter. It is nice to meet you. I hope we can be great friends." Starfire said cheerily.

Harry blinked. "Ah, yeah, I have no problem with that…"

Starfire clapped her hands happily. "Wonderful! We can have pizza together, and go to the mall of shopping, and so many other things!" Then, to Harry's surprise, she gave him a tight hug, beaming.

Beast Boy grinned at him. "Don't worry about it, dude. You'll get used to it." He peered at Harry. "You like video games?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, though I don't get many opportunities to play."

"Cool, we'll play later." Beast Boy said.

"Alright, we should head inside. It's almost lunch time anyway." Robin said.

"Yeah, and no offence man, but they were right, you really need some fattening up. You can't be healthy." Cyborg said as he eyed Harry.

Harry shrugged. "Yeah, well, literally not eating for a week will do that to you."

Beast Boy shuddered. "I don't think I'd have been able to do that."

"Amen." Cyborg said.

Harry turned a curious look at Raven, who was walking slightly in front of him. "So… You're the one who's going to teach me how to deal with my new abilities?"

Raven turned he head slightly to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "Yes. We'll start once you've eaten and settled in."

Harry nodded. "Okay. I hope you can help…"

"I'll do everything I can." She assured him.

* * *

Several days later Harry was sitting shirtless on a small island near Titans Tower with Raven. Well, he called it an island, it was really just a large pile of rocks.

He'd found himself fitting in surprisingly well with the Titans. He spent time playing games with Beast Boy and Cyborg, learned some hand to hand from Robin, and talked with Starfire about some of the more wondrous things he'd seen during his time in the wizarding world.

He spent most of his time with Raven, however, so much so that he sometimes worried he was being annoying. But he was a bit desperate to get his new abilities under control, as if by doing so he could also get his more treacherous thoughts to stop taunting him. It helped that he actually enjoyed being around her, though. He found her deadpan snark entertaining, especially when she dealt with Beast Boy.

At the moment, however, he was trying to control the output of his power under Raven's watchful eye. He had an orb of dark energy hovering between his cupped hands, trying to keep it stable while slowly increasing its power. He smiled as he finally started doing it, the orb growing steadily from the size of a golf ball to a tennis ball without fluctuating. He glanced up at Raven, a small smile on his face, to find her lips lightly curled up as well.

He couldn't help but notice once again how attractive she was. He'd love to get on top of her, forcing her down onto her back, ripping her leotard off of her body and slamming into her as she screamed and fought…

Immediately Harry recoiled from the thought and jerked his head down, doing his best to banish the image from his mind. The damage was done though, his lapse in concentration causing the orb to swirl and bulge oddly before exploding in his face, knocking him to the ground.

Raven got up and walked over to him as he groaned on the floor, looking down at him. "You lost concentration again. It keeps happening. I can tell your mind goes to other things, and it has since the beginning." She tilted her head to the side. "So, are you going to tell me what the problem is so I can try to help you, or are you going to keep trying to deal with it on your own and letting it get in the way of your training?"

Harry gazed up at her, lying on his back, before sighing and sitting up. "I guess…" Once Raven sat back down he began. "I've been having problems dealing with the change in my thoughts since Silent Hill…"

Raven nodded. "Even before you escaped that place, you were absorbing demonic power to keep yourself going. That's going to have an effect."

Harry hesitated. "Well…" He looked away. "Some of the thoughts that bother me are about… women…"

When Harry didn't say anything further Raven decided to speak up. "I know you felt a surge of lust for me right before the orb exploded." Harry's face whipped around to stare at her. She raised an eyebrow. "I'm an empath, Harry, and we're teenagers. Lust is something I've become very familiar to feeling from others around me. You should feel how much Robin and Star pump out when around each other. I'm surprised they don't just go at it right there in the living room with all of us watching."

Harry coughed lightly. "Right…" He frowned. "That isn't really the problem though. It's the fact that the thoughts I had weren't, well, nice…" When Raven remained silent, encouraging him to continue, he did so. "It didn't used to be this way, but now when I think lustful thoughts about a girl, they're focused on taking them by force, of causing pain while having sex, of conquering them, usually without consent." He sighed and looked down. "How am I supposed to deal with that?"

Raven studied him. "You find ways to manage it, Harry. It's actually relatively simple." He looked up at her as she continued. "If you can only be a rough, even somewhat violent, lover, then look for someone who wants exactly that." She raised an eyebrow as he looked at her in surprise. "Come on, Harry, you're a teenage boy with access to the internet. I know you're aware of the BDSM community. Even if you never had an interest in such things before, now that you're interested in the rougher side of sexuality you should have considered it an option for the future." She shrugged. "It really is that simple, Harry. Everybody has dark thoughts on occasion. Even thoughts like those. It's how you deal with them that matters. Do whatever you want, and as long as it's all with consent, then you shouldn't have any problems."

Harry stared at her for a bit longer before letting out a breath. "You make it sound so easy… I've been worrying about this since I woke up on the Watchtower." Then he frowned. "Those aren't the only dark thoughts I've had, though…"

"You mean things like causing pain to your enemies, hurting and killing them?" Raven asked. Harry nodded. "Did you know most criminals Batman fights spend at least a couple of weeks in the hospital?" She asks. "Even the more minor ones Robin deals with usually get pretty hurt. That's because they've trained themselves to fight to disable with prejudice without going over the line of lethality." Harry opened his mouth, and she held up her hand. "Of course, that doesn't really relate that well to what you're talking about. There's a difference between hurting an enemy while doing your job and wanting to torture somebody for your satisfaction. What I am trying to say is that you shouldn't cause _unnecessary_ pain. Breaking an opponent's leg in the middle of a serious fight is much different than wantonly using the cruciatus on a beaten enemy. Do what you feel you need to, but don't go overboard, essentially."

Harry was surprised. "I didn't think that was a viewpoint a well-known hero like yourself had."

Raven shrugged. "I'm not all that interested in causing pain, despite my heritage, but that doesn't mean I'm not aware of the psychology of many heroes."

"Okay, I can see that…" Harry frowned. "What about killing, then?" He might have already had a short conversation about it with Wonder Woman and Flash before, but he was interested in Raven's insight.

Raven was silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts. She was well aware that this conversation was very important to Harry going forward, and that she needed to make sure she said the right thing. "I'm sure you're aware of the League's 'No Kill Except In Absolute Last Resort' policy." She said, waiting for him to nod. "Despite this, you don't think they condemn soldiers who fight in wars, do you?" Harry blinked, obviously not having thought about that. "From what I know of the situation in Magical Britain, when you go back you're heading into a warzone. Not only that, but you will purposefully be heading in as a warrior against Voldemort. There's also the fact that you are not a member of the League or the Titans." Raven sighed. "Essentially, Harry, you'll need to go by your own moral compass, which despite the way your power has influenced your thoughts I have no doubt is still pointed in the right direction. If you need to kill, make sure it's because you truly do _need_ to, and not out of enjoyment or anything similar. The moment you begin to enjoy killing, set down your metaphorical sword and get out of the business." She said, gazing at him seriously.

Harry nodded slowly. "Alright… Thanks Raven."

Raven nodded. "Alright Harry, now let's try again. Try creating the orb again, but this time…"

* * *

Several weeks later Harry was alone in the tower as the team had to head out and deal with a robbery at a museum in the city. Not being a member, or having as much control of his abilities as he'd like, he'd stayed behind.

At the moment, Harry was in the training room experimenting. His abilities had improved tremendously since his talk with Raven, and he could now launch blasts of energy, move objects remotely, and several other abilities. But he'd had a thought recently. Could he use his power with the spells he was used to in order to make up for his lack of wand?

He glared at a training dummy, thinking of what to try. Spells such as stunners or body binds wouldn't work on a training dummy. Finally he pointed his hand at the dummy. "Incendio!" He cried, focusing on his demonic energy.

Nothing happened.

He frowned. "Incendio!" He cried louder, but yet again there was no effect. He let his arm drop. Was he doing something wrong? Or was it simply impossible?

Harry scowled, determined to not be beaten. He hadn't survived hell on earth by giving up, after all. Once again, he lifted his arm at the dummy, glaring hard at it. He focused on what he wanted to have happen, visualized the dummy catching fire. "INCENDIO!"

The dummy erupted into flames. So much so that Harry yelped and jumped back from the suddenly searing heat. "Shit! Uh, um." He looked around in vain for fire extinguisher before turning back to the blaze. "Okay, hope this works. Aguamenti!" A large spray of water emerged from Harry's fingers and sprayed the burning dummy, slowly putting out the fire. Once he was done he let the power he was channeling to his hand stop, which stopped the water.

He gazed at the ruined dummy before his face broke into a wide smile. "Yes! I did it!" He laughed, punching the air. Then he cracked his knuckles and turned towards another dummy with a grin. "Alright, let's see how many spells I can get working…"

He couldn't wait till Raven got back so he could show her what he could do now.

* * *

 ** _Another quick chapter. This one was somewhat easier as I knew exactly what I wanted to happen… for the most part._**

 ** _This chapter was all about Harry dealing with his new abilities and mentality. I assure you that Harry is still going to have a few issues despite his conversations with Diana and Raven, even though that did help. Things never get solved that easily._**

 ** _I was amazed at the response to last chapter. 23 reviews in 24 hours is great. For a transitory chapter that was more than I expected._**

 ** _To address something most might think a continuity error: Supergirl in this continuity did not stick around in the 31_** ** _st_** ** _century. I'd rather keep her around, as I might decide to make use of her. I never liked that story decision in the first place and completely forgot about it till I pulled up her wikia page. If it's better for you, just imagine that in this universe the events that led up to that never happened._**

 ** _Can't really think of anything else to say at this point. Hope you enjoyed, and please review._**


	10. Anybody Call For A Badass?

Harry was sitting on his bed in Titans Tower, deep in thought. Halloween was only a few days away, and it had him thinking about his next step.

He'd enjoyed his time with the Titans immensely, but that just brought to mind the fact that he hadn't seen his friends in months. He hadn't even tried to contact them to let them know he was alive, because somehow he felt that if he did that meant his time free of the wizarding world would come to an end. It was selfish, and he knew it, but he couldn't help feeling that way.

He thought about all he'd learned while away from that world. His abilities had improved impressively, to the point where he could hold his own against one or two of the Titans in a fight despite their experience and abilities. He was in no way invincible, but his strength was considerable, as demonstrated by an event the week before.

* * *

Harry was walking down the streets of Jump City on his own with his headphones on, feeling like spending some time outside of the Tower and away from his friends. He smiled at the thought, realizing that the Titans really had become his friends, something he hadn't expected when he first met them.

He was walking around with a small glamour over his form which hid his white streaked hair and tattooed skin, making him look like a normal teenager. It helped that he was now back up to a healthy weight, and the physical training he'd been doing with the Titans had given him the lean, muscled form he'd been developing before he'd been sent to Silent Hill.

He was singing along softly to himself with the song he was listening to when he heard an explosion nearby. He raised an eyebrow and walked around the corner to where the sound came from, checking to see if he should call the team in.

He saw that a group of weird teens had just blown the wall of a bank and were pulling out bundles of cash, setting them in an odd looking vehicle while a short boy with a mechanical backpack with mechanical spider legs coming out of it and holding him aloft shouted out instructions.

Harry sighed as he removed his headphones, letting them rest around his neck. He recognized the teens from the Titan's files. The so called H.I.V.E Five. Well, he couldn't just let this pass. He pulled out his phone and dialed the first Titan number to come up.

"What's up, dude?" Beast Boy asked as he answered the phone.

"Oh, nothing much, BB. Just letting you know the H.I.V.E Five are in the middle of robbing a bank on…" He checked a street sign. "…Waterson Ave. I'll go ahead and hold them off. You mind getting over here to pick up the pieces?"

"You got it, man. Alarm just went off anyway, so that's probably them." Beast Boy said, and indeed, Harry could hear the alarm going off in the background of the call. "We should be there in a couple of minutes. Don't do anything too crazy, okay?"

Harry smirked, feeling his adrenaline start pumping. "Who, me? Never." He hung up the phone while letting his glamour fade and stepped forward.

One of the teen villains, the one with a green helmet with a large eye on it, turned and spotted him. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who, me? Nobody important. I just happened to be in the neighborhood and decided kicking you guys around before the Titans arrive would be entertaining." He cracked his neck. "So, who's first?"

The teens stared at him. "Are you damaged, crud for brains?" The pint sized techie, Gizmo, asked. "You can't take us. Mammoth, get rid of him, will yah? I want to be gone before the Titans show up."

The large Mammoth cracked his knuckles. "Easy as pie…" He rushed Harry with a roar, fist reared back to punch.

Harry decided to show off and dodged before throwing his own punch at Mammoth's belly. Well aware that it would do absolutely nothing to the bruiser he whispered 'Stupefy', channeling it through his fist as it connected. Mammoth immediately dropped, unconscious, making it look like Harry had taken him out with a single punch.

The other supervillains stared in surprise before Gizmo looked around at them. "What are you crud-munchers waiting for!? Get him!" He cried before his pack sprouted the barrel of an energy weapon which immediately began to fire at Harry, which See-More quickly followed up with a barrage of his eye bubbles.

Harry quickly formed a shield of dark energy in front of him, blocking the blasts with one hand. He focused on what he wanted to happen and made a small motion with his other hand and Gizmo and See-More yelled as their feet began to sink into the pavement like it was quicksand, stopping their attacks.

Harry didn't have time to relax as he was suddenly kicked in the back by Kyd Wykkyd, who had teleported behind him, launching him forward with a cry. Harry rolled with the fall and launched a quick body bind at his assailant, which was dodged. He quickly scrambled to his feet before being grabbed by two identical boys in red suits.

"Got you now, asshole! What are you going to do?" Billy Numerous asked as he held Harry in place, Kyd Wykkyd approaching from Harry's front to no doubt cause bodily harm.

Harry responded by launching a spherical shockwave of a banishing spell from his entire body, launching the two villains away from him. Both landed hard, the Billy Numerous copies multiplying even more from the impact. Harry snapped a spell at Kyd Wykkyd, wrapping his body in heavy chains, making him roll around and squirm trying to get free.

Harry turned to where Gizmo and See-More had been left. The eye based villain was stuck up to his waist in the pavement, and he was trying unsuccessfully to get out using his eye balloon, the pavement holding fast. Gizmo, however, was gone, the poles of his spider legs sticking out of the road. Then Harry heard something and turned to find Gizmo hovering in the air on wings that sprouted from his pack, his weapon aimed at Harry. Harry barely managed to dodge as Gizmo fired. "Stay still, you garbage sniffing idiot!" The small genius cried.

"How about no, kid?" Harry focused his energy and directed a small whirlwind at Gizmo, who promptly lost control, screaming, and smashed into a wall. Harry quickly stuck Gizmo to the wall and proceeded to rip his gun from his pack with a burst of sparks.

Harry let out a sigh and turned around… only to see a dozen copies of Billy Numerous rushing him. He yelped in surprise and quickly incased himself in a bubble shield as the copies tried to dogpile him. The copies shouted abuse at him as they tried to get through the shield, but Harry simply glared up at them and focused. Slowly the copies began to rise off the ground with cries of surprise and began to orbit a sphere of dark energy, completely out of control.

Harry glanced around at all the villains, making sure they were incapacitated, before letting his shield dissipate with a sigh. He jumped when somebody spoke behind him. "Someone's taken their lessons to heart…"

Harry turned to see it was Beast Boy who had spoken with a grin, the other Titans looking around at the defeated villain team. He rubbed the back of his head. "I haven't been training just for fun, you know…"

Cyborg smirked up at the stuck Gizmo, who was hurling abuse at them. "I'm not complaining. Good job, man."

Robin folded his arms and gave Harry a narrow look. "You shouldn't have engaged them on your own. It was dangerous." Then he looked around at the villains again and smirked. "That said, I agree. Nicely done."

Starfire suddenly swept him into a bone crushing hug, making him gasp. "Yes! Wonderful work, friend Harry!"

Harry weakly patted Starfire's back, sure his ribs were now so much powder. "Thanks… Star… Now please… Let go…" He sighed in relief when she set him down, beaming.

Raven examined the knocked out Mammoth and the miniature singularity holding the Numerous clones in place. "Nice thinking. Good to see you can use your powers on your feet. I'd say your training is almost done."

Harry smiled widely. "You mean that?" At her nod his smile turned to a full grin. "That's great! It's all thanks to you, Raven."

Raven blushed slightly, unnoticed in her hood, as Robin turned towards the approaching police. "Alright people, let's clean up."

* * *

Harry chuckled at the memory. His first supervillain fight was definitely memorable. He got up and, deciding he needed to do something productive, got up to practice a new ability he'd come up with.

In the training room Harry drew Cybil's gun from the holster he'd been given for it. It was unloaded, but even so he aimed it at the training dummy. He let out a breath, focused his energy, and pulled the trigger. He smiled as a bullet of dark energy escaped the barrel and hit the dummy, leaving a dent. He fired again, and this time the bullet pierced straight through. One more time, and the energy bullet impacted before letting out a discharge of electric looking energy rather than any physical impact. Harry grinned at his success, which was a huge improvement over when he'd first begun doing this.

Harry came up with the idea of using the gun in conjunction with his powers when he was wondering whether he should keep the gun simply as a memento or actually use it. The idea of using it as a focus, like a more specialized wand, came to him while playing a shooter with Beast Boy, who'd commented on the guns seemingly being magic thanks to how they could be used in different ways with different ammo. So he'd experimented.

Robin had originally been against him using the gun, as the only thing it could do, according to him, was kill. So Harry had compromised with him by showing him that he could create energy bullets that simply stunned the enemy, taking them out without lasting damage. Robin left him alone after that.

Harry shook his head and focused on his original train of thought. He knew he needed to get back to Britain soon. He'd been gone long enough, and he wanted to see Ron and Hermione again.

After another hour of shooting he finally made his decision and headed to speak with his friends.

* * *

He found the team putting up Halloween decorations around the living room of the tower, mostly Starfire and Beast Boy. Raven was simply sitting on the couch and reading, though even she was apparently in the holiday spirit, as she was reading some H.P. Lovecraft.

Starfire spotted him and floated over. "Oh, isn't it wonderful! The Halloween is almost here. We're going to have candy, and movies that are scary, and I'm going to dress up!"

Harry smiled at Starfire's innocent happiness. "Sounds like a blast, Star. I hope you guys have fun."

Beast Boy looked over as he hung a rubber streak of blood on the window. "What are you talking about, dude? You're going to be here, aren't you?"

Harry shook his head. "Not this time, guys. That's what I came to tell you." The Titans turned to look at him, so he continued. "I've decided it's time for me to go back to the UK. I've learned what I needed to learn, and I can't stay away any longer. I have friends and responsibilities. I'm heading out back on Halloween to get to Hogwarts that night."

Starfire floated closer, looking sad. "Are you sure you have to go so soon? I have enjoyed having you here."

Harry smiled and, for once, was the one to initiate a hug, wrapping his arms around her. "I have to, Star." He pulled back and looked at her teary eyes, still smiling. "That doesn't mean I won't visit, though. Next time I'll bring my friends along and we can all have fun, okay?"

Starfire gave a watery smile and nodded. "Okay. I await that day eagerly."

Robin stepped forward and lay his hand on Harry's shoulder. "You have our numbers, so don't hesitate to call us if you need help." Harry nodded with a smile.

"Why are we saying goodbye now? He's leaving in a few days." Beast Boy asked. "Let's go out, get some pizza, and have some fun before he has to leave."

Cyborg smirked. "Sounds like a plan. I'll get the T-Car ready."

Harry smiled as everybody got ready to head out, feeling happy to have become friends with all of them.

* * *

Early in the morning on Halloween, Harry and the Titans were standing in the living room. Harry had an enchanted bag he'd put all his things in and was ready to go.

Beast Boy let out a huge yawn. "Why'd we have to get up so early, again?"

"Harry needs to leave early because of the time difference. It should be a little after noon in the UK at the moment." Robin explained patiently.

Starfire gave Harry another crushing hug. "I will miss you. Please call us often."

Harry returned the hug as best he could. "I will, Star."

Beast Boy grinned. "Don't forget about our game night on Supreme Conquest Online. Me and Cy will be waiting to play with you."

Harry laughed softly. "I'll remember, BB, don't worry. I'm the one that carries the team anyway. You'd be lost without me."

Beast Boy sniffed indignantly. "Says you."

Cyborg chuckled and shook Harry's hand. "Take care man. Like BB said, we'll be waiting for you online."

Harry smiled at the larger teen. "Talk to you later then."

Robin was the next to shake his hand. "Don't forget, call us if there's any trouble. You're an honorary Titan now. We take that seriously."

Harry nodded, smiling. "I know Robin. Same to you though. You need any more magical muscle, just let me know." At Robin's nod he turned to the last person there. "…Thanks for everything, Raven. I owe you more than I can say."

Raven blushed slightly, but otherwise didn't react. "It's been a pleasure teaching you, Harry. I'm proud." Then she became more businesslike. "Alright, so remember, just like we practiced. Create the portal with your destination firmly in mind, don't let your attention wander."

Harry nodded. "Don't worry, I remember. I've got this." He looked at them all. "Thanks for your help, everybody. It's been fun." As everybody said their own farewells Harry took a deep breath and focused. As he concentrated a portal of dark energy appeared in front of him. Then, with one last glance at his friends, he stepped through, and the portal closed behind him.

The Titans stood silently for a moment after he left before Beast Boy yawned again. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going back to bed." The others agreed, and they all headed to their own rooms to get some more rest.

* * *

Harry shook his head slightly before looking around the area he'd appeared in. He was currently beside the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade. Thankfully there didn't appear to be anybody around. Stretching he made his way into the town before stopping, frowning. He thought he could hear… screams? And explosions. Definitely a few explosions.

Harry groaned. How unlucky could he be that he'd arrive during an attack on Hogsmeade? He sighed before hurrying forward.

While Harry made his way to the center of the village, the Three Broomsticks was the current bastion for the residents and the students who had been visiting the village on their Hogsmeade weekend, with most of those in the village making their way to it for safety, though not many made it. The pub was being assailed by almost two dozen Death Eaters, who were being only barely held back by the defenders.

Inside the pub were a few of the aurors stationed in the town for just such an event, among which was Tonks. Normally they'd have already been overwhelmed by the attackers, but they were being supported by members of Hogwarts' DA, led by Ron and Hermione. A few were caring for the wounded, but most were trading spellfire with the Death Eaters through the windows. Despite holding their own so far, however, everybody knew it couldn't last. They couldn't evacuate or get reinforcements because floo and apparition had been blocked. Tonks had sent a patronus message up to the castle, but there was no guarantee they'd receive aid in time.

"Well, today could be going better." Ron said with no small amount of sarcasm.

"It was inevitable they'd attack Hogsmeade, Ron. With Harry gone they've been emboldened." Hermione sighed back. She launched a blasting spell out the window, hitting the ground in front of a Death Eater and making them fall on their ass.

Ron grimaced. "I know, but I still hate the fact." He launched his own spell, a piercer, which almost struck an enemy's leg. "I'm surprised they haven't just destroyed the entire pub already."

"I agree." Susan Bones, who was tending to a gash on Terry Boot's forehead, said. "They must have some reason for not killing us outright. I just don't know what it is." She bit her lip. "I hope auntie gets here quickly…"

"I'm sure she'll get here soon." Hermione assured her.

Suddenly there was a pop outside, and the Death Eaters stopped casting. Tonks peeked outside before cursing. "Well, this feels familiar…"

Hermione glanced out to see what Tonks was talking about before gasping. Ron just looked at her neutrally. "He's here, isn't he?" He asked dully.

His answer came when a high pitched voice rang out from outside. "People of Hogsmeade! I recommend you stop fighting! Surrender, and you won't be harmed! You have my word!" Ron and Hermione glanced out to see Voldemort standing in front of the pub, his wand in his hand.

Inside the pub, the people began to mutter to each other about whether they should surrender or not. Hearing them begin to turn towards the idea made more than one person in the DA angry, and Ron shouted out a response which made those nearby fall silent. "Like we can trust you after everything you've done! You'd never keep your word! Besides, I'd rather die than surrender to you. Harry didn't, and I won't either!" Many people now began to mutter in agreement, and the DA seemed to receive a boost of courage, gripping their wands hard and staring out resolutely.

Voldemort was frowning. "This is your only chance. Surrender now, or die like your precious savior."

"Then I guess we'll die!" Neville called back, face hard. "For Harry Potter!"

"FOR HARRY POTTER!" The defenders shouted, aurors and normal residents of Hogsmeade included.

Voldemort sneered as they watched, but before he could respond a new voice rang out. A voice many there recognized. "Aw, thanks guys! I love you too!"

Voldemort froze as everything went silent, and he slowly turned to see Harry standing a short distance away from him and his group of Death Eaters. "Impossible…" He whispered.

In the Three Broomsticks, the entire DA was staring in shock, and Hermione had brought a hand to her mouth, tears in her eyes. "Harry?"

Harry was smirking, his hand tapping his gun lightly in its holster as he stared at Voldemort and his Death Eaters with hard eyes. "Been a while, Tom. You miss me?"

"Potter!" Voldemort spat. "You're supposed to be dead!"

Harry let out a low laugh, shaking his head in amusement. "Oh Tom, you didn't really think a portkey accident would have been enough to get rid of me, did you? After everything we've been through, you have so little faith in my ability to kick your plans in the balls? I'm hurt, I truly am."

Voldemort, along with everybody else, studied Harry, taking in his white streaked hair and tattooed face. "What happened to you, Potter?"

Harry's smile dropped. "There are worse things than death, Tom. Far, far worse things, and thanks to you, I've seen some of them." He gazed fearlessly into Voldemort's eyes. "I survived. Battered and scarred, I survived. Now I'm here to clear up our unfinished business." He glanced quickly around at the Death Eaters before looking back at Voldemort. "Run away, Tom. Right now. Otherwise, you won't like what I do." He smiled a dark, twisted smile. "Because I think you should have realized by now, that you can't kill me."

Voldemort stared at Harry. "I can't kill you, you say?" Suddenly, with the speed of a striking serpent, he pointed his wand at Harry and cried "Avada Kedavra!"

"Harry!" Ron, Hermione, and several others cried out as the green light approached Harry.

Harry stared at the light of the Killing Curse as it approached. He couldn't have told anybody why he did it, something just told him to do so, but rather than dodge he reached up, holding his hand out to catch it. He felt something, a warmth, fill him. Then the light impacted against his hand… and stopped.

One could have heard a pin drop as everyone stared at what had just happened. Harry brought his hand up to his face, staring at the ball of sickly green light held in it. He could feel as the light tried to enter him, tried to do its evil work, but it was unable to. He looked back up at Voldemort, Killing Curse held in his hand, and smirked, eyes glinting. "I told you, Tom. You can't kill me." He held up the light for Voldemort, and everybody else, to see. "Here, you should have this back." Then he wound up and threw the light back at Voldemort.

The killing curse flew straight and true, on a collision course with the madman. Voldemort barely got over his shock in time to dodge to the side, letting the light impact a Death Eater who was behind him. The nameless Death Eater fell down, dead, and the street was once again silent.

Voldemort stared from the dead Death Eater to Harry in shock before the shock turned to fearful rage. "Kill him!" He shouted, and the Death Eaters quickly raised their wands and began to attack.

Harry quickly drew his gun and started to fire. The Death Eaters, being ignorant of mundane weapons, didn't know what it was, and several went down with wounds before they realized what was happening. Harry dodged in and out of the various spells launched at him, occasionally putting up a barrier of dark energy, but for the moment relying on his revolver to attack. Though Harry wasn't aiming to kill, he wasn't being all that careful, either.

After they got over the shock of what had just happened, the defenders in the Three Broomsticks joined in the fight again, taking out several Death Eaters while they were focused on Harry. Ron and Hermione were especially vicious, not willing to let their friend fight alone ever again.

Before long they were joined by another side in the fight. Hogwarts teachers and aurors rushed in from the road leading to the school, finally arriving to help. Voldemort, seeing his plans had been ruined, had his followers apparate out as he glared at Harry. "This isn't over, Potter!"

Harry smirked. "No, it isn't, Tom." He aimed his gun at Voldemort, but he disappeared before Harry could pull the trigger.

Harry sighed and holstered his weapon before he suddenly found several wands pointed at him from trigger happy aurors. "Don't move!" One of them yelled at him, glaring.

Harry became annoyed. "Are you fucking serious?"

"Wait, stop, leave him alone!" Someone yelled. Harry turned his head to see Tonks making her way over with Ron and Hermione right behind her. "He's on our side! He fought the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who!"

The aurors pointing wands at him glanced at each other before a new voice joined in. "You can vouch for him, Auror Tonks?" Harry looked over to find Madame Bones striding over.

"Of course, Minister. This is Harry Potter." Tonks said. The aurors still holding Harry at wandpoint jerked and stared in shock, while Madame Bones looked around to gaze at Harry shrewdly.

"That's impossible, Auror Tonks, and you know it. Harry Potter has been confirmed dead by Gringotts. This must be an imposter." Bones said evenly.

Harry's eye was twitching in annoyance. He was about to speak when he heard a voice he hadn't heard in far too long speak beside him. "Harry?"

He turned to see Hermione looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes. He smiled gently. "Hello Mione. I've missed you."

Hermione's eyes filled with tears and she launched herself at Harry's chest. "Harry!" She held him tightly and sobbed happily, Ron behind her look on with tears in his own eyes. Harry motioned him over and Ron joined in the hug with his best friend.

"Children, please step away from this man. We need to determine who he really is." Madame Bones said, though not unkindly.

Hermione sniffed and looked up at Harry. "What did you and I do at the end of our third year the night Pettigrew escaped?" She asked.

Harry smirked. "You and I used the Time Turner you got from the Ministry to go back in time several hours, rescued Buckbeak, I chased a horde of dementors away from our past selves with my patronus, and we flew Buckbeak up to the window they were holding Sirius, freed him, and let him get away on the hippogriff. Then we snuck back into the hospital wing in time for Snape to storm in about his escape."

Bones, the aurors, Tonks, and the newly arrived Professor McGonagall all stared, even more so after Hermione hugged him tightly again. "That's right. Oh Harry, It's really you! I'm so happy. Where have you been? Why didn't you contact us? What's wrong with your hair? And those marks on your face? And where did you get a gun? And-"

"Hermione, calm down! I promise to answer, just take a breath!" Harry said with a laugh.

"Mister Potter, is it really you?" McGonagall asked.

Harry smiled. "It's really me, professor. I'll take veritaserum to prove it, if you want."

McGonagall gave him a somewhat watery smile. "That shouldn't be necessary. I'm just glad you've found your way back to us."

Bones was staring. "You're absolutely sure this is Harry Potter?" When Hermione nodded she stared at him. "How is that possible? Where have you been?"

"Indeed, I'd like to know that as well." A deep, wizened voice said, prompting Harry to turn with a smile to see Dumbledore standing nearby, looking at Harry with twinkling eyes.

"It's good to see you, Professor." Harry said.

"Indeed, I am quite overjoyed to see you as well, Harry." He looked Harry over. "I see you've gone through some changes. Perhaps you could explain what happened to all of us up in the castle?"

Harry grinned. "Sounds good to me."

As they made their way passed the Three Broomsticks people came out and stared at Harry. "It's Harry Potter." "He's back!" "Thank goodness, he's returned." Before long, somebody shouted "Hurray for Harry Potter!" which was picked up by almost everyone there. Harry sighed in exasperation as he walked off to the school with the others to chants of his name.

Ron and Hermione simply grinned at his irritation, just happy they had their friend back.

* * *

 ** _Alright, that's it for this chapter. This'll be the last chapter of this story for a while. I might update my RWBY and Chrono Trigger stories before the end of the week, then I'll take a week off, then get back to Dragon._**

 ** _I'm not really satisfied with this chapter, though I can't put my finger on why. I might come back to it in the future and make some changes._**

 ** _So, in case nobody got it, the gift Death gave Harry in the other chapter was an immunity to the Killing Curse, which he put into use in this chapter. I thought it would be helpful._**

 ** _Just a quick PSA about something a reviewer pointed out. A normal person wouldn't have been able to eat the way Harry did after not eating for a long time due to something called refeeding syndrome, which could be fatal. Just an fyi so everyone is aware of this and don't get themselves killed because of what I wrote._**

 ** _Can't think of anything further. Please review to help my self-esteem. Till next time._**


	11. Storytime

As they walked up to the castle, Harry found his elation at being with his friends slowly being overshadowed by his irritation at the presence of the two aurors, besides Tonks, who kept their wands at the ready, eyeing him and muttering to each other. On the one hand, he could understand. He'd just shown up out of nowhere and helped chase Voldemort away. One the other, well, they weren't being very subtle, and his temper still wasn't exactly stable.

He was listening to Hermione chatter about what they'd been doing with the DA, Ron walking contentedly at his other side, when he suddenly felt like he walked into a wall and fell flat on his back, cursing. Everybody stared in surprise, but Dumbledore looked especially shocked.

"The wards just informed me that a dark creature tried to access the school and was rebuffed." The old man said, watching Harry. At his words the aurors' wands immediately moved to aim at Harry's face, prompting a glare from their target.

"Alright, you two are going to get those wands out of my face, or I'm going to end up shoving them up your asses and shooting a couple of firework spells. Capice?" He said, the look on his face showing it wasn't an idle threat.

Bones looked down at Harry. "First, I want to hear why the Hogwarts wards consider you a dark creature."

Harry's glare deepened, but he huffed. "It's probably because I've been cursed. The wards probably detected the curse and labeled me a dark creature like they would a werewolf." He looked at Dumbledore. "I don't recall the wards reacting that way to Moony, though."

Dumbledore was gazing at Harry over his glasses speculatively. "The state of the wards has since been raised to a wartime footing, making them much more forceful, so even Remus wouldn't be able to get in now without special permission, which he happened to have at the time anyway."

"Harry…" Hermione was looking at Harry with worry. "You've been cursed? What is it? Is it why you have those markings on your face? Can we lift it?"

Harry couldn't help but smile at her. "Easy, Mione. Yes, I've been cursed. It's kind of complicated, but I've got it under control. Yes, it's the reason for my unique appearance. And I highly doubt anybody short of a god can lift it."

As Hermione bit her lip, Tonks, who had stayed mostly silent, looked at him. "What kind of curse would require that amount of power?"

"The curse of a Fallen." Harry responded calmly. He almost smirked at the looks of shock that covered every face at his words. It was amusing what effect his half-truths were having. He took advantage of the surprise to finally get to his feet, brushing the dirt off himself.

"W-what did you say, mate?" Ron asked, face so white his freckles stood out in sharp contrast.

Harry shrugged nonchalantly. "I had a nasty run in with a Fallen. I managed to get away, but the asshole left me with a little memento."

Tears were gathering in Hermione's eyes. "What is it doing to you, Harry?"

Harry took the question seriously. "It's made my darker impulses more prominent, plus worsened my temper." His friends blanched at that, obviously remembering his fits of rage the previous year and wondering how that could get worse. Harry smiled with a bit of mirth at that. "It's why I haven't been around till now. I needed to get control of myself before I trusted myself around anyone else. If I'd come straight here after being cursed, those two chuckleheads…" He pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the two aurors, who were still aiming their wands at his back. "…would have already gotten their asses kicked, for example."

Dumbledore drew his wand and aimed it at Harry, an action that made the younger man's hand twitch towards his gun in reflex. "Do you mind if I scan you a bit to verify what you've said for myself, my boy?" Harry didn't hear Dumbledore at first. He was staring at the Headmaster's wand, feeling a pull to it, though he couldn't have said why. He only knew it practically sang to him, as if desiring him. "Harry?" Dumbledore asked again, and Harry wrenched his eyes away.

"Hmm? Oh, sure. But just some scans. I'm slightly twitchy. I'm sure you understand." He said, acting calm as he hoped said scans wouldn't reveal his lie. He was sure being 'cursed' would be much more palatable to the masses than 'stole a Fallen's powers through a fluke'.

The old man waved his wand a few times in Harry's general direction, his eyebrows rising at whatever feedback he was receiving. Madame Bones spoke once he appeared to have finished. "Well, Albus? Is he safe?" Harry frowned at the implication of her question. The 'Or should we contain him' addition was obvious. Once again, he could somewhat understand. She had a responsibility to make sure a threat was neutralized, especially in wartime. On the other, well, it irritated him more than a bit. And by the looks on Ron and Hermione's face, they didn't like it much either.

Dumbledore turned to her, still in thought. "Oh, I believe that Mister Potter is not a threat. There is definitely something very, very dark, but it's tightly contained for the most part, and he isn't exactly acting like a raving lunatic wanting to kill us all. We should be fine." Madame Bones observed him for a few moments before nodding and waving her aurors down, making them lower their wands. Harry's shoulders, which had been slightly tensed, relaxed almost imperceptibly.

Dumbledore then took a small chain from his pocket and ran his wand along it briefly, making it glow silver, before he offered it to Harry. "Here, this should allow you through the wards and keep the heightened defenses from attacking you. Make sure it's on your person at all times, or the defenses will activate to try to expel you, and they won't be gentle." Harry nodded and put the chain around his neck before tentatively walking forward to where the wards had blocked him, relaxing as he was able to continue forward. Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent. Shall we continue on to my office for what will no doubt be a fascinating conversation?"

The group resumed making their way into the castle. As they walked the students who didn't go into Hogsmeade for various reasons stopped and stared, wondering why the Minister was there. When they noticed Harry, whispers and exclamations of shock erupted, prompting him to wave back cheekily.

Before long they reached Dumbledore's office, and everybody bar the aurors, who stood in guard positions, sat down. The Headmaster folded his hands and looked at Harry. "Now then, Harry, perhaps we can get an explanation of what happened?"

Harry, once again, wasn't listening. He was staring at a ring sitting on one of the shelves. It had a rather large stone on it, inscribed with a symbol he didn't recognize; a triangle surrounding a circle with a line going through it. It sang to him, much like Dumbledore's wand did, but this one seemed off key, like there was something overlaid with it that turned what should have been something beautiful discordant.

Dumbledore noticed where Harry's attention was, but not wanting the rest of those in the room to know what he was looking at, he cleared his throat to get his attention. "Harry, an explanation, please?"

Harry pulled his gaze away and turned back to Dumbledore. "Right, explanation. Uh, basically the portkey dumped me in an area that was under the influence of a Fallen. I-"

"Excuse me, Mister Potter, but I just want to be clear. Are you saying a Fallen has a foothold?" Bones asked, looking quite tense. It seemed as though that realization was just hitting her now that she wasn't worrying about the potential threat Harry presented.

"Had, Madame Bones." Harry stated calmly. "I don't know if you've perhaps heard of Silent Hill?"

"I have." Dumbledore said gravely when Bones merely looked puzzled. "Several MaCUSA agents were lost trying to study what happened there twenty years ago. It was somewhat noteworthy, though not many in Britain paid attention, as we were in the midst of the first war with Voldemort."

Harry shrugged. "Well, a non-wand waver cult set up shop there to worship a Fallen, and they managed to open a door for the bastard using a nasty ritual involving a fair few children."

More than one person looked disturbed by this information. "Which Fallen did they summon?" Bones asked.

"Samael." Harry replied shortly. Before any more questions could be asked Harry continued, wanting to get this over with. "Anyway, long story short, the portkey accident landed me in the middle of Silent Hill, where I was trapped for a while trying to survive. I managed to, in the end, break Samael's connection to his full self, destroying his foothold. Before he was completely banished, he cursed me, and I spent the time since trying to get control of myself." He sat back. "There, story time done. Now…" he turned to Bones. "…You've gotten my story, so I think you need to look in on what happened in Hogsmeade. A lot of people were hurt, and seeing a Ministry representative should help keep things under control." Despite his words, it was obvious to everyone he just wanted to get rid of her.

Madame Bone's brow furrowed and she was about to respond when Dumbledore held up a placating hand. "He has a point, Amelia. No doubt there's been a lot of damage to the town, to say nothing of the injured. That should be your focus for the moment." He sat back, gazing at her calmly. "Don't worry, I'll continue to speak with Harry and will give you a full report on what I learn."

Bones looked from Dumbledore to Harry before nodding with a slight huff. "Very well, you have a point." She got up. "I'll expect that report though, Dumbledore." With that she walked out of the room, followed by her aurors.

Tonks hesitated before following and quickly moved to hug Harry. "I'm so sorry, Harry."

Harry looked confused. "For what, Tonks?"

She looked up at him. "It was my job to protect you. If I'd done my job better you wouldn't have been lost and gotten cursed."

Harry sighed and patted her head. "Tonks, I don't blame you. It was just bad luck. Besides, traumatizing as it was, some good came of it. So please, cheer up, will you? I like the fun, colorful Tonks than this sober, boring one." He grinned at her. "You just don't look right with normal colored hair."

Tonks wiped her eyes and smiled slightly, her hair becoming bubblegum pink briefly before she got up. "Talk to you later?" She asked as she moved towards the door. At his nod she smiled again and left, leaving Harry, Dumbledore, and Ron and Hermione, who had remained silent the entire time.

Ron spoke up now. "It'll be so good to have you back, mate. We didn't realize how tough teaching the DA was till we started doing it. You have a real knack for it." Hermione rolled her eyes with a fond smile at Ron's statement.

Harry, however, frowned sadly. "Guys, I'm not coming back to Hogwarts."

They both stared at him while Dumbledore simply observed the trio's conversation. "W-what? But Harry, what about your education?"

Harry quirked a smile at Hermione's obvious priorities. "Hermione, I can't stay here with my curse. Yes, I can manage it, but I can't guarantee I won't break Malfoy's neck the first time he pisses me off. It's best if I just get some books and maybe hire a tutor."

As Hermione bit her lip, obviously trying to come up with a counterargument, Dumbledore spoke up. "I'm afraid, Miss Granger, that in this case I will have to agree with Harry. While I trust him, it's best not to take chances. Besides which, I doubt Rubins and Leerman will be able to keep news of Harry's affliction to themselves." The three teens were confused till they realized he was talking about the aurors that had been with Bones. "Once that comes out, it's likely that there will be some pushback against having him here, no doubt encouraged by Voldemort's less open supporters."

Ron huffed and crossed his arms angrily. "Because the people are bloody stupid sheep." As Harry chuckled and nodded in agreement Ron turned to him. "Alright Harry, so you can't stay here. We're going to need to open you a new vault at Gringotts."

Harry was confused. "Er, new vault?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm not sure they'll reopen a closed vault just because you're alive. So we might need to open a new one to give you back the money you willed us." Ron said with a shrug, Hermione nodding beside him.

Harry blinked in surprise. "Wait, what do you mean, give me back the money? That money's yours."

The two looked at him like he was an idiot. "Harry, you're alive! We can't take the money you willed us. You need that money to live off of since you're not staying here." Hermione explained, acting as though Harry was being stupid on purpose.

Harry crossed his arms. "The only thing I want back is my Invisibility Cloak. The Map is more useful with you here in Hogwarts, and I don't need the Firebolt, much as I love it."

"Then what are you going to do for money, Harry?" Hermione asked stubbornly.

"Well, I apparently own a small stake in several companies. Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries, among others. A friend set it up for me. That should help. Besides which, I already have an easy way to make money."

Both of his friends looked confused, and Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, but Harry didn't say anything further, so they dropped it, at least for the moment. Instead the aged Headmaster turned his gaze to his students. "Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, would you mind overly much leaving us for now so that I can speak with Harry in private?"

Ron and Hermione looked unsure, but Harry smiled reassuringly at them. "Don't worry, guys. We just have some things we need to discuss. I'll meet you in the DA's training room later, okay?"

The two obviously weren't happy, but slowly got up and began to leave. "Alright Harry, don't take too long. We want more details." Hermione said.

"You'll get them, trust me." Harry said with a smile, watching them leave. Once the door closed behind them he turned back to Dumbledore, the two remaining silent for almost a minute as they observed each other.

"You didn't tell the entire truth earlier, did you, my boy?" Dumbledore began, eyes twinkling.

Harry merely smirked. "Would you around most likely loose lipped Ministry idiots?"

"Madame Bones is no idiot, Harry. She has done a marvelous job so far as Minister, despite the challenges that have presented themselves." Dumbledore said.

Harry chuckled. "I wasn't talking about her. Or Tonks, for that matter."

Dumbledore sighed. "Ah yes, Nymphadora. I doubt you realize just how much your words helped her. She has not been the same since your apparent death."

"It wasn't her fault. Just old fashioned bad luck. I hope she can see that." Harry said, arms folded.

"Indeed. With any luck she will begin to heal now that she's seen you alive." The Headmaster cleared his throat. "Now then, may I ask about the truth of your statements before?"

Harry shrugged. "I did tell the basics of the truth before, Professor. I got sent to Silent Hill, I had to survive for a while, I managed to find out how to break Samael's connection, and I ended up with a few issues for my trouble. Honestly, the rest is the business of nobody but myself. And even then, appropriate people are aware of the details."

Dumbledore folded his hands in front of him. "And who might these people be?"

Harry tilted his head. "Tell me, sir, are you aware of a group called the Justice League?"

To his surprise, Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I am indeed. An acquaintance of mine, Doctor Fate, is a member. He keeps me appraised." His eyes landed back on Harry. "I'm assuming they were the ones you informed?"

"Sorta…" Harry said, scratching the back of his head. "After I escaped Silent Hill I ended up in their care. They used a telepath to find out what happened, so they have all the details. Afterwards they helped set me up with somebody that could help me with my changes."

"I see. Well then, I'm glad you ended up with a group of trustworthy individuals. I will reach out to Doctor Fate for further information then, if that's alright with you." At Harry's nod he smiled. "Excellent. Now then…" He noted Harry's gaze once more trailing back to the ring. "Is there any particular reason you keep looking at that ring, Harry?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "I don't know, Professor. I just feel like it's calling me." He didn't notice Dumbledore suddenly appearing tense at that information. A tenseness that increased when Harry got up and made his way to the ring.

"I recommend you sit back down, Harry. That ring isn't-" He was interrupted when Harry suddenly picked the ring up and brought it to his face, studying it. Dumbledore got up slowly, observing cautiously with his wand in hand. "Harry?"

Harry's brow furrowed. "You shouldn't be here…" He reached out with the hand not holding the ring and seemed to pinch the stone. The markings on his body began to glow slightly as he pulled his hand away as though holding something, a black mist following his movements, as though trapped by his fingers. As Dumbledore watched, shocked, Harry glared at the face made up of dark, oily smoke trapped and struggling in his grasp. "Hullo Tom. I don't know what you did, but I'm undoing it. Whatever comes next for you, I have no doubt it's going to be painful." He wrapped his hand around it and began to squeeze, the figure making horrible noises as it struggled, before Harry enclosed his fist, crushing it and making it dissipate with a wail. He then studied the ring again and smiled. "There. Much better."

Dumbledore stared at Harry, shocked. "Harry, did you just destroy that Horcrux?"

Harry seemed to come out of his trance and turned to him. "Um, I guess? What's a Horcrux?"

Dumbledore sighed and motioned for Harry to sit back down. "Sit, and I'll explain." Once they were comfortable Dumbledore began. "I was originally going to explain this all to you throughout this year as a series of lessons to help you against Voldemort. Obviously, that did not work out as expected." He set his wand on the desk, not missing the way Harry kept glancing at it. "Essentially, Harry, a Horcrux is an object of the darkest type of magic. To create a Horcrux one commits an act of cold blooded murder without feeling any remorse or hesitation. The act damages the soul. One can then use that to split part of one's soul apart and secret it in an item. Doing so keeps the soul from crossing over upon death, as there is still part of the soul tied to this plane, anchoring it."

Harry was silent as he listened intently. What Dombledore was describing reminded him of what Alessa did in Silent Hill. The difference being that Alessa did what she did to stop Samael, and didn't kill anybody to do it. "Somehow I'm unsurprised Tom made one of those things. It sounds just like his style."

Dumbledore nodded. "Indeed. It is incredibly difficult to destroy a Horcrux, especially without damaging the container. I'm astonished that you were able to do so, Harry."

Harry gazed at the ring, thinking. Something about what he'd just done had stimulated a memory. "I've done… something like this… before…" He said slowly, vaguely aware of Dumbledore watching him intently. "In Silent Hill, after I tricked Samael… There was a horrible, malformed thing attached to me. I thought it was something Samael did." He looked up at Dumbledore, who seemed to age in front of his eyes. "It wasn't, though, was it? He made me a Horcrux as well, didn't he?"

Dumbledore sighed, but nodded. "I suspect so, though I have no hard proof. If I had to guess, it was done accidentally, as there would be no point in putting a piece of your soul in something you intend to destroy. It most likely occurred due to the backfired killing curse, since his soul was already so damaged."

Harry nodded. "Alright. I'm guessing that's why I could get those feelings and visions from him. It's a good thing I got rid of it."

Dumbledore's gaze snapped up to look at him with hope. "What? You got rid of it?"

Harry was surprised at his reaction. "Of course. As soon as I felt that thing attached to me I ripped it away and sent it on. I wasn't going to walk around with it still stuck to me."

To Harry's further surprise Dumbledore sagged and brought his hands to his face, shoulders shaking. "I'm so relieved…" He looked back up at Harry, eyes bright. "As I said, Harry, destroying a Horcrux is difficult. Doing so without damaging the container, I thought almost impossible. I thought…"

"You thought I'd have to die to get rid of it, cause otherwise Tom won't die for good." Harry said softly, prompting Dumbledore to nod an affirmative. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Harry, how did you expect me to tell somebody I cared about that I believed he had to die?" Dumbledore asked tiredly. Harry was silent as he went back to studying the ring, gaze on the symbol etched in the stone.

"…So now that I've gotten rid of the one latched onto me and the one in the ring, does that mean I can get around to killing the bastard?" Harry asked.

"Don't forget his diary. It was what first told me that Voldemort might have created Horcruxes. But I believe, though I have no proof, that he made more than that. So, till those are found, there is no real point to killing his physical body. And trust me, I have been looking. Poor Minerva has had to shoulder even more responsibility than usual as I have been working on locating them almost exclusively." The Headmaster said tiredly.

Harry nodded. "Alright. Tell me if you think you find the location of one, and I'll assist in the retrieval, what with my ability to destroy them."

Dumbledore nodded agreeably. "Yes, that sounds good. I hope you'll meet with me on occasion so we can discuss where I believe they are. I would rather you're aware so that, in case anything happens to me, you'll be able to get the job done." He smiled when Harry nodded. "Excellent. Now, may I ask, why did you become so interested in the ring? Was it because of the Horcrux?"

"Not… really? It weird, it's like it was singing to me. The Horcrux was messing with the sound, making it seem distorted, but it sounded fine once I removed it." He held it up to his gaze. "It's… well, not silent, but not as loud. I can only hear it if I focus." He looked up at Dumbledore. "What is it? I doubt it's a simple ring."

Dumbledore sat back and steepled his fingers. "Well, the ring itself is nothing special. The stone, though… Tell me, Harry, have you ever heard the story of the three brothers by Beedle the Bard?" Harry raised an eyebrow and shook his head. Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "No, no you wouldn't have, would you? The basic story is this. Three brothers on a journey reached a river that drowned any trying to cross it. These three were very proficient in magic, a rarity in the time before schools when apprenticeships were the norm. They conjured a bridge to cross the river, thus remaining safe."

"As they were crossing, however, a figure appeared before them. This was Death, who was angry that they had thwarted its attempt to claim them. However, cunningly, it stated that they had fairly bested it, and offered them each a gift of their own choosing."

"The eldest brother, a rather power hungry and combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any other in existence. So Death granted his wish by taking the branch of a nearby elder tree and fashioning it into said wand, now known as the Elder Wand."

"The second, who was rather arrogant, wished to humiliate Death further. So he asked for the power to recall the deceased from the grave. Death granted him this power by picking up a stone from the riverbank and crafting it into the Resurrection Stone." Dumbledore nodded when he saw Harry glance at the stone on the ring in his hand. "Yes, I believe that to be the exact same stone. Allow me to finish the story though, if you would." Harry nodded, and Dumbledore continued.

"The third and last brother, who was both humble and wise, did not trust Death. So he asked for something which would allow him to go forth without Death being able to follow. Death, quite reluctantly, handed over its own Invisibility Cloak, which would hide the wearer from anything including Death itself."

"After their prizes were granted, the brothers went on their way and soon parted, going in different directions. The eldest brother travelled to a village where a wizard he had a grudge with lived. He demanded a duel and quickly killed his opponent thanks to the power of his new wand. Drunk on his power, he boasted to an entire inn soon after about the wand gifted by Death itself and his own invincibility. That night, an unknown wizard entered the man's room while he was asleep, passed out due to drinking, and slit his throat before stealing the wand. And so, Death took the first brother."

Dumbledore made himself comfortable as he continued to tell the tale, enjoying Harry's obvious fascination. "The second brother returned to his home, where he lived alone. Turning the stone three times in his hand made the figure of the girl he had been going to marry before her untimely death appear before him, something which delighted him. However, she was sad and separated from him still, as though by some sort of veil. Though she was returned to our world, she didn't truly belong here, and so suffered during the time she remained. Finally, the second brother went mad with longing, and committed suicide by hanging so could truly be with her again. And so it was that Death took the second brother."

Dumbledore paused took sip some water from a goblet which appeared on his desk to soothe his parched throat while Harry turned his gaze back to the stone, though his eyes darted on occasion to Dumbledore's wand, an inkling as to what it was settling into his mind.

"For many years, Death searched for the youngest brother, but was never able to find him, the Cloak doing its work well. It was not till the third brother reached a great age that he took off the Cloak of Invisibility and handed it to his son to be passed down along their family under the understanding that none would try to cheat when their time came. The man then greeted Death when it approached like one would an old, dear friend, and soon they departed as equals."

The office was silent for several minutes once Dumbledore finished his tale, the Headmaster watching his now former student as he thought about the story.

"So… This stone has the power to summon the shades of the dead back to this side, at least temporarily?" Harry asked quietly.

With an idea of what was going through Harry's mind Dumbledore simply whispered "Yes, I believe so."

Harry looked up. "You haven't tested it?"

"No, Harry. No I have not." Was the quiet response.

They were silent again before Harry slowly set the stone onto the desk, passing it over to Dumbledore. The old man looked pained. "No Harry, it's yours now."

Harry was confused. "You found it, Professor. It's best with you."

Once more, Dumbledore seemed to age visibly. "Do you know what happened when I found that ring, Harry?" Harry shook his head. "First you must understand that I was once one of those who hunted for the Deathly Hallows, as the items came to be known. It is believed by many that the one that manages to unite all three items will obtain the title of Master of Death. Some see the title as meaning one will have power over death. But seeing the cost of the obsession with the Hallows in others, primarily Gellert Grindelwald, I stopped my search, believing myself content." He gazed at the ring sitting innocently on his desk. "But when I saw the stone… I proved to myself that after all these years, I have truly learned nothing. I am unworthy to unite the Hallows, much less possess the stone, so desperate was I to see Ariana again." Harry didn't ask who Ariana was. He could see the anguish in his old mentor's eyes. "Forgetting it was a Horcrux, I almost put the ring on, Harry. I would have, if I had not brought Alastor along as backup, being extra careful after your apparent death. Doing so would have ended my life, for there was a powerful curse on the ring bound to the Horcrux. If it had not killed me immediately, I would have only been able to delay it by a matter of months. Alastor only barely stopped me by stunning me. His paranoia was, once again, well founded." Slowly he extended his hand toward the ring, shaking slightly, then, rather than take it, he pushed it towards Harry. "You cleansed it, Harry, of both the Horcrux and the curse. It is yours to keep."

Harry stared at the ring. Now that he knew its abilities, he wanted to use the thing, desperately so. With it he could see Sirius and Cybil again, and apologize for their deaths. He could see Alessa and make sure her torment was over.

…He could see his parents, the one thing he had wanted more than any other in his life. A part of him had felt happy when he thought he was going to die in Silent Hill, believing he would be able to see them all again.

He took a deep, shuddering breath, and looked up at Dumbledore. "I don't want it."

A fierce, burning pride appeared in Dumbledore's eyes as he gazed at Harry, a smile appearing on his face. "In that case…" He got up and approached the young man. He grabbed hold of one of Harry's hands, took the ring, and placed it in his palm. "…I can think of no one better to keep it safe."

Harry looked down at the ring before curling his fingers around it, looking up at Dumbledore and nodding. Dumbledore nodded back before moving back behind his desk as Harry put the ring in his pocket.

The old man chuckled slightly. "Well then, I trust you'll take just as good care of that as you do the Cloak."

Harry blinked. "…Are you joking?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No. I confirmed it when I asked James to lend it to me to study before he died." He leaned forward. "Harry, normal Invisibility Cloaks last a decade or two at most before the enchantments begin to fade. That cloak has been in your family for generations."

Harry stared at him before sighing, hanging his head. "Figures." Then his brows furrowed and looked up at Dumbledore. "Wait, if it's a cloak that can hide you from Death itself, why can you and Moody see through it."

"Ah, that…" Dumbledore stroked his beard with a smile. "I layered a few spells on it while James was a student. I'm sure you understand why I didn't want a troublemaker like James Potter to be able to get by without at the very least being able to be monitored by myself."

Harry opened his mouth briefly before closing it again, thinking. "…Yeah, that makes way too much sense."

Dumbledore became slightly more serious. "Since you will be taking it when you leave the school, it's not a good idea to leave such a vulnerability on it. Bring it to me once you get it back, and I'll remove the spells." Harry nodded.

The two sat quietly before Harry shifted. "I suppose I should go see Ron and Hermione. Unless there was anything else you needed?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, no. We can talk later. Go attend to your friends. I should go back down to Hogsmeade and look in on things."

Harry nodded and got up, turning to leave the room, only to stop dead in his tracks. "…Fawkes…" He breathed, somewhat apprehensively.

The phoenix was sitting on his perch, observing Harry. For a moment Harry was worried the magnificent bird would attack him. It had weighed on his mind that it was possible Light creatures like Fawkes would shun him now due to what he was.

Then, Fawkes sang a gentle, soothing song and moved from his perch, alighting on Harry's shoulder. Harry felt tears of relief appear in his eyes as he lifted his hand and stroked the bird's chest. They remained that way for a minute or so before the phoenix moved back to his perch, letting Harry leave, smiling as he moved out the door.

* * *

Harry arrived at the Room of Requirement a short while later to find Ron and Hermione sitting in armchairs by a fire, a silvery bundle sitting on a table in front of them. They looked up when he entered and smiled. "Harry!" Hermione said, happily. She was prevented from saying anything further as a shrieking mass of white feathers launched itself at him.

Harry recoiled as the thing landed on his shoulder, digging sharp talons in, and started bashing his face with its wings. "Ow, dammit, what, Hedwig!" The snowy owl shrieked angrily at him as she continued her attack. "Ow, I'm sorry! Hedwig, seriously! Stop!"

Hedwig flew off his shoulder and landed on a perch that appeared for her, her back to him. Harry sent a bit of energy to the wounds she left on his shoulder before slowly approaching. "Hedwig, I'm really, really sorry. I didn't choose to have what happened happen. And I couldn't come back till now for everybody's good." The owl barked huffily and shuffled away from him. "Cmon, Hed, don't be like that…"

Hedwig turned around and barked at him. Harry winced. "I'm sorry Hedwig, but I can't bring you with when I leave." She shrieked and spread her wings threateningly, so Harry lifted his hands to placate her. "I won't have any place for you to stay. Besides, I want you to stay here so Hermione can send messages with you. It's better than being with me, since I won't be sending much mail at all." Hedwig barked angrily again and turned back around, ignoring him now. Harry sighed and turned towards his friends, who looked amused. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"You know, someone else was really devastated when it appeared you died." Hermione said.

Harry stared at her blankly before sighing. "Dobby!"

The elf appeared before Harry. "Yes, what cans Dobby be doing for-" He cut himself off as he stared at Harry. "Harry Potter sir, is, is it really being you?"

Harry smiled at his friend. "Yeah Dobby, it's me."

The elf launched himself at Harry's legs, almost knocking him over. "Harry Potter sir! Dobby never believed when they said yous dead! 'Great Harry Potter sir can't die!' Dobby said, and Dobby was right!"

Harry reached down and patted Dobby's head. "I'm glad to hear it, Dobby. You doing alright?" The elf nodded so hard Harry was afraid his head would pop right off. "Good. I just wanted to check on you, make sure you were alright."

Almost predictably, Dobby burst into tears. "Harry Potter sir wants to make sure Dobby is okay. Great Harry Potter sir is the greatest, most noble…!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, whatever you say, Dobby."

After the elf got his tears out of his system he pulled back and looked up at him. "If Harry Potter needs anything…"

"I'll call you, Dobby. Promise." Dobby smiled widely before popping away.

Harry walked over to Ron and Hermione, who were both grinning at him, tiredly. He sat down in another armchair that appeared as he approached. "Ugh, what an annoying day…"

"Yeah, coming back from the dead sure takes it out of you." Ron said blithely.

Hermione shot him a look before turning to Harry. "Alright Harry, spill. You obviously didn't say everything up in the Headmaster's office. Out with it."

Harry eyed her. "You know, I could just not tell you." Hermione crossed her arms, eyebrow raised, and he huffed a laugh. "Alright, alright, fine. From the top, then."

He proceeded to tell them a more detailed account of what he'd already shared, this time without misinformation. As usual they were a good audience, gasping, cursing, and in Hermione's case, even screaming at some points. Soon Harry finished telling his tale, feeling a bit drained, and looked at them.

Ron was white, staring at him and obviously trying to think of something to say. Hermione, on the other hand, had tears falling down her cheeks. "Oh Harry…" She choked out before moving to hug him tightly.

Harry gently rubbed her back. "It's alright, I'm fine, Mione. Really."

She pulled back, sniffing. "O-okay… So, you said you needed help getting your new mentality set straight. Who helped you?"

Harry grinned, thinking his next words would really have an effect. "The Justice League arranged for me to be trained by Raven of the Teen Titans." He waited, counting down, and before he hit one Hermione gasped, staring at him.

"You met the Justice League!?" She shrieked while Ron simply looked confused. "Who did you meet? Did you go to their base? What's Wonder Woman like?"

Ron cut in with his own question. "What's the Justice League?"

Hermione whirled on him and stared before muttering. "Wizards are so out of touch…" Ron's brow furrowed, but before her could respond Hermione launched into an explanation on the Justice League and its members, making Ron look more and more incredulous.

"You're taking the piss, aren't you? No way that's real." Hermione's eye twitched at Ron's response, but before she could retort Harry decided to settle the argument by pulling out his laptop from the expanded bag he had under a Notice-Me-Not on his belt.

Hermione whirled around and stared at it. "Harry, what are you doing with a computer here? It's not going to work. All you'll do is short it out."

Harry opened it and started it up, smirking as it booted up without any issues. "Batman gave it to me. He said he confirmed with the magical heroes of the League that it would work in magical areas." The OS came up, and Harry grinned at Hermione, who was staring in shock. "Apparently it's Wayne Enterprises' latest."

Then he moved to the chat program and opened up a window to Beast Boy and Cyborg's channel. Shortly afterwards the two appeared on the screen, making Ron yelp in shock.

"Yo, Harry, when we said to contact us later, we expected it would be, you know, a bit later than this." Cyborg said.

"Yeah, well, some things came up. I showed up in the middle of an attack by the terrorist assholes and had to chase them away." Harry said with a smile.

Both heroes became more serious. Beast Boy spoke next. "You alright, dude? Need backup?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah. I'm fine. I was just explaining things to my friends." He tilted the computer so they could see Ron and Hermione. "This is Ron and Hermione. Ron didn't believe Hermione when she told him about metas and aliens, so I figured I'd head the debate off by showing him you guys."

"Gee, thanks. Used as teaching aides. We're just that unique, are we?" Beast Boy said sarcastically, his grin belying his words. He looked at the two magicals. "Yo, name's Beast Boy. Heard a lot about you from Harry."

Cyborg waved lightly. "Yes we have. Name's Cyborg. I think it's obvious why."

"H-hello…" Hermione said timidly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Uh, yeah. Nice." Ron said, obviously dazed.

The two heroes grinned before turning back to Harry. "It's too bad you decided to head back on Halloween. BB found this really scary movie we're all going to watch on the big screen."

Harry looked doubtful. "Is that really a good idea after what you told me happened the last time Raven saw a scary movie?"

Beast Boy cut in. "You kidding? If it happens again, that'll be perfect for Halloween." He said with a grin.

Harry rolled his eyes while Ron and Hermione just observed the conversation. "That's reckless and childish. I'm unsurprised." Beast Boy and Cyborg chuckled with him. "Anyway guys, that's all I needed. I'll get on later for game time."

"You got it. Take care." Cyborg said while Beast Boy waved before disconnecting.

Harry put his computer away while Hermione muttered 'I'm so getting one…' before turning to them. "So-" He was interrupted, however, when the door banged open and let the DA stream in.

"Harry!" Several called as they all rushed to him. He stood up just in time to be swamped by hugs and exclamations of happiness. More than one girl kissed his cheeks, with the Patil twins kissing them both at the same time, something Harry couldn't help but enjoy.

Finally the group of teens stepped back, most grinning, while Luna remained attached to him, arms wrapped tight around his middle. Harry stroked the petite blonde's back as he addressed the group with a smile. "Hey everybody. Miss me?"

Everybody began to chatter at the same time, making an incomprehensible racket till Harry let out a whistle, getting everybody to be quiet. "Okay, okay, one at a time."

Neville was the first to speak. "Where have you been all this time, Harry?"

"America, mostly. Spent some time elsewhere as well…" The group waited for something further, but nothing came, so they continued.

Hannah Abbot was next. "What happened to make you look so different?" She asked, eyeing the marks on his face, though she and several other girls were also looking at his now more muscular frame with blushes.

"I started working out." He said teasingly, winking at her and making her blush, something that made Hermione frown.

The questioning continued from there, and though he tried to avoid giving any problematic answers, Harry couldn't shake how good it felt to once more be among friends.

* * *

 ** _Hey everybody. Been a bit since I updated this. Hope it's worth the wait. Somewhat. A little bit. Maybe._**

 ** _Ending feels kind of flat, but I wasn't sure how to end this chapter._**

 ** _Some important things happened this chapter, mainly involving the Horcruxes. Now I've confirmed the one in Harry's scar was dealt with, and another has been removed from play while leaving Harry with a powerful tool._**

 ** _No, Harry will not be returning to Hogwarts, at least not as a student. Keeping him there wouldn't serve my purposes._**

 ** _Some might be wondering why Bones is Minister rather than Scrimgour. Well, helps she's not dead. In my story, Harry's xenomorph ripping through the Death Eaters at the beginning left Voldemort with somewhat depleted manpower when it came to higher level DEs, so he didn't attack her before she could become a bigger pain in his ass. Doesn't mean he hasn't tried since, but she'll have more security now._**

 ** _That's my story and I'm sticking to it._**

 ** _I think that's it for now. Till next time, thanks for reading and reviewing._**


	12. Green Ashes

Harry and the DA spent about an hour talking. Harry mostly talked about his time with the Justice League and Teen Titans, which the muggleborns and halfbloods found amazing, and the purebloods, much like Ron, found unbelievable.

All the muggleborns were also incredibly jealous when they found out Harry had a computer that worked within Hogwarts. Harry told them it was from Wayne Enterprises, and though he said he wasn't sure it was on the market yet, more than just Hermione vowed to get one.

Finally the group dispersed when Harry said he needed to get going, which brought up exclamations of dismay when they found out he wouldn't be returning to Hogwarts as a student. Upset but reassured that he could take care of himself, one by one they left the room. As Luna and Ginny left after giving him another hug, he was once again left with Ron and Hermione.

"Whew, enthusiastic, weren't they?" Harry said.

"They're just happy to see you alright, Harry." Hermione said with a smile.

"Yeah mate. We've had precious little to smile about lately. This was what everybody needed." Ron said. He caught sight of Hermione giving him a pleading look and, showing uncommon insight, gave a big yawn. "Well, I'm knackered. That fight in Hogsmeade took it out of me." He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "You take care of yourself, got it mate?" He said seriously. "I'm not going to go through dealing with your death again till we're at least a hundred, understood?"

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I got it Ron. Go, rest. I need to get going anyway. Need to find myself a hotel to stay in for the night."

Ron nodded and left, winking at Hermione as he did, making her blush. Soon it was only Harry and Hermione left, Harry gathering the Invisibility Cloak and carefully placing it in his bag as Hermione fidgeted, trying to think of what to do now.

Finally she took a deep breath and moved closer to him, still red faced. "Harry, there's something I need to do before you leave, now that I have a chance."

He turned to her. "What is it, Her-" He was interrupted when she wrapped her arms around his neck and quickly pressed her lips to his, kissing him.

Harry froze, not expecting this in the least. Before long, however, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close as he kissed back. Working more on instinct than anything else at the moment, he deepened and took control of the kiss. Expecting her to fight back, he was surprised when she eagerly surrendered to him, moaning softly as her form was pressed against his and his tongue invaded her mouth.

Neither was sure for how long they remained that way, but eventually Harry pulled back when his hands began to make their way past her waist to her backside, trying to keep control of himself. "Hermione, what was that about?"

Hermione rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes, listening to his strong heartbeat. "…When we thought you died, I had so many regrets, so many things I wished I'd had the courage to do." She looked up at him. "Even if this is as far as it goes, I wanted to at least do this much to show you how I feel."

Harry held her, looking down at her, more than slightly surprised. "I had no idea…"

She smiled self depreciatingly. "I'm not surprised. I never even really acknowledged it to myself till I thought you were dead." He smile became slightly teasing. "Plus you were always a bit dense."

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so." He sobered. "Hermione… I can't… Not now…"

Hermione looked away, trying to hide the tears that appeared in her eyes. "Oh…" She moved to let him go and step away, but he kept a tight hold on her.

"I'm not saying that there's no chance." He said with a soft smile. "I just have too much on my plate right now. There's Tom, the Death Eaters… Hell, Flash said they might induct me into the Justice League when I'm older."

She looked up at him, wide eyed. "Really!?"

Harry grinned. "Really really." His smile softened. "You focus on your education, Hermione. Once everything is dealt with… Well, we can revisit this then, okay?"

Hermione tentatively smiled back. "Okay Harry."

He kiss her brow. "Good girl."

* * *

Harry was lying in bed watching Evil Dead 2 the next day in the penthouse suite of a fancy hotel he was staying in for the moment. Before he'd left Jump City Robin had handed him a debit card he said was linked to an account with some initial spending cash to help him get set up. Initially he'd thought it would be a few hundred pounds, enough to support him till he got on his feet. He'd been astounded by the sum Robin had told him it was, once again reminded that the Titans, and by extension the League, had incredible resources.

He checked the clock. It was almost time for him to go out and do his first job. After he did so he'd have enough money to support himself. The fact that it would inconvenience Tom enormously was a nice bonus.

He quickly dressed himself in what he'd decided would be his battle gear. A black dragon hide jacket Raven had obtained on his behalf for him to practice his enchanting on went first over a simply white t-shirt. She'd wondered why he'd insisted on something so spell resistant for his forays into enchanting. Harry had simply stated that the challenge would help him improve faster. His teacher had been skeptical, but to her surprise his efforts had yielded results, ending up with a jacket that would block most spellfire, was fire resistant, and had several other features.

A similarly enchanted pair of sturdy jeans for his bottom half was added, followed by some steel toed combat boots which had been enchanted to be lighter and quieter than normal ones, negating the traditional downsides to them. He added the belt with his gun on last.

He looked himself over in the large mirror in the bedroom. Satisfied at what he saw he got ready.

He didn't know his destination, but he didn't actually need to. Raven had told him that the portals she taught him to create could be set to lead to a person instead of a destination. It just took a lot more power, for some reason, which is why not many did it. Thankfully Harry, for the most part, had power to spare.

He focused on creating a portal to the person he had in mind, hoping he could remember them well enough despite only meeting them once. He was happy to see the portal form and moved through, hand on his gun, ready to draw. Blackness enveloped his vision, and when it faded… there was a wand pointed straight at his face!

Without a thought he drew his revolver and aimed it right at the wand's owner, just barely keeping himself from blowing their head off. The two stared each other down before the wand wielder spoke.

"Who are you, how did you get here, and what are you doing here?" Narcissa Malfoy said in a surprisingly dangerous voice.

"Hello Mrs. Malfoy. I'm sorry to drop in unannounced." Harry said calmly, ready for any attack, but keeping from doing anything as she hadn't done anything yet. "We've only met briefly once before. My name is Harry Potter."

Narcissa gave a small start of surprise, her eyes widening, before they narrowed. "So it's true… You're back."

Harry flashed her an insolent smile. "Indeed."

She pursed her lips. "You haven't answered my other questions. How did you get here? The wards should have kept anybody out." She eyed the portal that was still open behind him. "Though I'll admit, I had not seen such a method of travel before."

"There's that wand waver arrogance." Harry said with a small smirk. "There are more magics than just the kind taught at Hogwarts. I've been lucky enough to be able to learn some. It's served me well so far, seeing as your wards aren't set up to stop them."

Narcissa eyed him. "I see… Why have you come then?"

Deciding to take a chance Harry lifted his weapon away from her face, pointing it up. "I'm here to cause as much havoc to Tom's forces as possible and deny them as many resources as possible."

Narcissa blinked. "You're here to loot us?"

Harry smirked. "And maim some Carrion Munchers while I'm at it, yes."

The blond seemed to waver slightly before letting her wand drop with a sigh. "Fine. I am past caring anyway."

Now it was Harry's turn to blink. "That's… not the reaction I expected. I figured you'd likely curse me."

The witch went and sat on her bed, looking exhausted. "What good would that do me, exactly? You were able to kill my sister, and fought off the Dark Lord in Hogsmeade. I may be a decent fighter, but I know I have no chance. It is best for my safety if I step aside and let you do as you wish."

"That's more… pragmatic… than I expected." Harry said carefully.

Narcissa elegantly raised an eyebrow at him. "Potter, I am a Slytherin. Foolishly dying for lost causes is a Gryffindor's part and parcel."

Harry couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face. "Point." He looked around, just now noticing the fact that the door to the room was barred with most likely conjured steel that glowed softly. "Something tells me that you haven't exactly been having an easy time of it in the first place."

"My family has fallen out of favor with the Dark Lord since the Department of Mysteries battle." She said scathingly. "So whatever protection I had as Lucius' wife is gone." She looked at Harry somewhat imperiously. "I am a beautiful woman, Potter. I'm well aware of it. And so are my husband's former 'colleagues'." Then, to his surprise, she let a vicious little smile appear on her face. "That doesn't mean they have had any success. I am a Black by birth. I know more than enough spells to make them rethink their approach."

Harry frowned. "I see. Have you even left this room recently?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No. I have my own en suite for bathing, and my house elf provides me food and books from the library when able."

Harry gazed at her for a few moments before sighing and muttering 'saving people thing' to himself. "Fine. I'll get you out of here."

Narcissa stared at him. "You'll… what?"

"I'm not going to be stupid about this, though. Give me an oath you won't reveal my secrets to Voldemort or anybody you know or suspect supports him. That includes your son and your husband. You do that, and I'll take you somewhere safe to stay till I figure out somewhere to put you." He waited as she continued staring at him in shock. "Well?"

"You're serious." She said in disbelief.

"Very." He responded, crossing his arms as he watched her.

Narcissa licked her lips, obviously thinking furiously. "I… very well." She raised her wand. "I, Narcissa Malfoy nee Black, so swear that I will not knowingly reveal any of Harry James Potter's secrets to any person I know or suspect of being aligned with the Dark Lord V-Vo-Voldemort. So mote it be." There was a flash of light, and Narcissa looked at him hopefully.

Harry nodded. "Alright, grab whatever you think you need or don't want either me or the Death Eaters to have. Quickly. I've taken enough time as it is."

As Narcissa quickly called her house elf and began packing things away Harry leaned against the wall, wondering how his friends would take what he was about to do.

The idea of raiding Death Eater estates and causing as much havoc as possible had come to him while he was with the Titans, and they'd been, for the most part, supportive of the idea. It was only later that the idea to take the opportunity to rob them blind while at it came to him, and he'd decided not to bring it up to them. He knew they wouldn't agree to that. He was quite sure there was some rule somewhere about it.

He looked up as Narcissa stepped before him, a large trunk full of things at floating lightly at her feet. "I'm ready, Potter."

Harry nodded. "Alright. One last thing before I send you and your house elf away. Any hidden areas in the mansion where your husband kept valuables or gold?"

Narcissa hesitated before speaking. "Under the drawing room. Lucius kept a supply of gold and other valuables there. I recommend caution with everything but the gold, however. Most things there are cursed. You can access it by turning the head of a bust of Lucius' grandfather."

"Thank you." He focused, and a new portal appeared, Narcissa looking at it apprehensively. "Through that portal is the place I'm staying in for the moment. It's in a muggle building, so don't leave. I won't be long."

Narcissa nodded. "Very well." She proceeded to slowly and carefully walk through the portal.

Harry gave her a minute to get clear of it before letting it dissipate. "Alright then…" He grinned. "Time to get to work." Before anything else, deciding he might as well, he went through the room for any jewelry Narcissa left behind, coming up with some clearly expensive pieces, which he promptly put in an enchanted bag he'd brought along specifically to carry his plunder.

He looked at the barred door and rolled his eyes at the stupidity of some people. He moved to the wall beside the door. He held out his hand, already deciding to screw subtlety, and blasted the wall, creating a large enough hole to walk through. He walked into the opulent hallways of the manor and looked around before heading to where he guessed the drawing room was.

It was as he turned the corner that he ran into his first Death Eater. The man stopped, looking dumbfounded, wand held in a shaking grip. "W-who are you!?"

Harry grinned. "Hello friend. Have you heard the good word?"

"Go-good word?" The wizard asked, off balance.

"Yeah, this word. Stupefy." Harry said, pointing a finger at the enemy.

The Death Eater, obviously not exactly the brightest bulb around, simply gaped as the red light rocketed towards him, sending him flying onto his back, unconscious.

Harry whistled a cheerful little tune as he walked forward, drawing his revolver. The next wizard that appeared a short while later was not so unprepared, raising his wand to aim at Harry, who quickly took aim and fired. His shot slammed into the Death Eater's wand hand, mangling it and breaking the wand in the process. He dropped, screaming in pain, so Harry fired another shot, this time a stunning bullet, making him go silent.

He prepared himself for more attacks now that the man's screams had announced his presence. He walked cautiously, reading for anything.

"Avada Kedavra!" Was called behind him, making him whirl around. He smacked the green light away without a thought and proceeded to fire back at the Death Eater behind him. This DE was smarter than his fellows, however, ducking around a corner into cover, only his wand poking out and launching multiple spells at Harry. Harry quickly created a dark shield to block the attacks.

Unable to aim properly at the DE through his shield, and unfortunate side effect of the dark energy used to create it, Harry holstered his weapon and placed a hand on the wall, focusing on what he wanted to have happen. Before long his assailant gave a cry followed by some weak gurgles as he died, a spike having burst from the wall and impaled him thanks to Harry's transfiguration.

Once he was sure he wouldn't be attacked immediately he resumed making his way to the drawing room. Thankfully he reached it without further incident. He peered in, checking for hostiles, before entering and closing the doors behind him, focusing on his magic to bar them similarly to what Narcissa had done in her room in order to avoid being disturbed. Once that was done He looked around for the bust the woman had informed him about and, once he found it, twisted it as he'd been told. He watched as the floor sank away, leaving a staircase leading down into torchlit shadow.

Drawing his gun again just in case, he moved down into the room below. He paused briefly when he heard someone frantically trying to get in. He smirked. "Be right out!" He called, chuckling to himself as those on the other side of the door started cursing and trying harder to get in.

He took a moment to look around once he reached the bottom. On one side of the room there were shelves full of artifacts and books. Remembering Narcissa's warning he kept his distance from them, wary of any curses they might have. He looked at the other side and grinned, finding a pile of bags, each heavy with Galleons.

Still being careful, he waved his hands over the pile, checking for any magic from them. Thankfully they came up clean, and Harry began grabbing them and putting them in his enchanted bag with a smirk on his face. This would put a nice dent in Tom's available funds, which could only be good.

After he got every coin into his bag he left the room and closed it, ignoring the sound of a large amount of people trying to get into the drawing room. Then he turned to consider the door. It sounded like there were a large amount of Death Eaters on the other side, considering how many voices were shouting. Probably everybody currently in the manor, twenty of the fools by his estimate.

He looked around, searching for something he could use. He could just leave now while they tried to get in, having robbed them of a large amount of gold. However, he wanted to cause more havoc for them, not satisfied with just taking three of them out. He spotted various tasteless knickknacks scattered around the room, and slowly an evil grin grew on his face.

Outside of the room nearly two dozen Death Eaters launched spells at the door to the drawing room, intent on reaching the intruder and doing some rather unpleasant things to them. It was as they were about to launch another barrage of spells that they were interrupted when the wall beside the door burst open, launching one of the Death Eaters into the opposite wall. They turned to see what caused it, more than one gaping at the strange creature standing in the hole in the wall.

It was large. A full head taller than the tallest of them. It was heavily muscled and covered in bright green skin. Its face was brutish, with a heavy jaw that sported two large tusks from it and small, glaring eyes. It was dressed in patchwork clothes and held a crude cleaver in its enormous fist.

As the creature spotted them it raised its weapon and roared. "WAAAAAAAAAGH!"

To the Death Eaters' consternation its call was answered by several more, similar voices within the drawing room. They raised their wands in more than slight panic as the monster rushed them, swinging its weapon, and more burst through the walls and door.

The wizards screamed in panic and pain as they started casting, trying to kill the monsters before they were all butchered. Crude and makeshift melee weapons tore into them as the green monsters advanced, ripping through the humans like tissue paper, seemingly unstoppable. Even when hit with an AK all it did was blow chunks off of them, which didn't seem to manage to slow them down.

Soon nearly all the Death Eaters were dead, and in desperation one of the remaining ones, Crabbe, launched a blast of Fiendfyre. On the upside, it started destroying the monsters. On the downside, he lost control of it and it turned on him and his fellows, killing them all the same.

Harry, who had remained to keep the transfiguration going, gulped when he saw the cursed flames. "Ok, I think that's my cue to leave." He hurriedly opened a portal and dived through as a serpent made of flames moved to take him out.

Narcissa jumped to her feet from the armchair she was sitting on in the common room of the penthouse when he suddenly appeared, hurriedly closing the portal behind himself. "What happened?"

Harry got up, dusting himself off. "Ah, well…" He gave her a sheepish grin. "You… might not be going home for a while."

She eyed him. "For how long?"

"Umm… forever?" As she stared at him he explained further. "One of the idiots there decided Fiendfyre would be a fantastic idea. You can guess how that went."

Narcissa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I… see…"

They were silent for a few moments before Harry let out a cough. "Anyway… I got what I needed and did what I'd set out to do. So I'm going to shower and order room service. Do you want anything to eat?"

She eyed him before nodding. "I could eat, I suppose…"

"Alright. I'll call the kitchen and order something. You go sit and watch television or something."

Narcissa blinked. "Tele… vision?"

Harry grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, making Narcissa jump and stare at the sudden images and sound. As she observed he went through the channels, looking for something that might entertain her. Finally he stopped it on The Fellowship of the Ring, which was luckily just starting. "There, watch that."

She warily retook her seat. "What… is it?"

"It's like a moving picture that tells a story. That one shouldn't have much that'll confuse you technology wise. Just be aware that the magic in the story doesn't work the same as wizarding magic."

She nodded, eyes observing the movie, as Harry proceeded to order room service and head for the shower, shaking his head.

When he'd gone out earlier, he hadn't planned on ending up with a roommate. "Funny how things work out." He muttered to himself as the water began to cascade down his body.

Still, he thought he could call this day a success.

* * *

 ** _Hello all, it is I, your author!_**

 ** _New update, finally. Shorter chapter than usual, but it's mostly a transitory chapter setting up what Harry's doing now and how he's screwing with Tom. Things will pick up soon. I don't plan for many chapters to pass before we finally begin the multiversal journey. Considering what I have planned to happen, it'll probably just be one more chapter with a timeskip in it before those events are set in motion._**

 ** _In case anybody is interested in knowing, someone from the DC verse will be joining Harry in his travels through myriad worlds. Place your bets now, who do you think it's going to be!? It's someone that's shown up before. That's the only hint I'm giving out._**

 ** _Also, yes, those were WH40K orks Harry created. I did mention he liked the universe, and the thought of a bunch of DEs facing a group of orks screaming their customary 'WAAAAAGH!' tickled my fancy._**

 _ **Also also, no, Narcissa is not in the running for the pairing with Harry. I know she's supposed to be a MILF (in the books, at least. Never saw the movies beyond PoA), and as entertaining as Draco's reaction would be, it's not happening. Just to head that off.**_

 ** _In other news, I started yet another story since this last updated. For those interested, it's a Xander centric Buffy story called On Swirling Ashes. It's only got one chapter so far, but the response till now has been positive._**

 ** _I'll also be beginning yet another story. Yes, I know, I have plenty, but the plot bunny won't leave me alone. It's actually the crossover concept I shared in the author's notes of chapter 5 of this story. I'll begin work on it tomorrow, and hopefully have the first chapter of it up this weekend. Just need to think of a name for it._**

 ** _I also have a Zelda story gnawing on my brain, but one project at a time._**

 ** _I think that's it for now. I'll talk to you all again soon enough. Till then, take care. And don't forget to review._**


	13. Long Awaited Meetings

Harry worked on his computer in the sitting room of the penthouse he'd been staying in for the past month and a half as snow began to drift passed the window. Sitting near him was Narcissa, who was intently watching Jurassic Park on the TV.

In the time since his raid on Malfoy Manor he had attacked many more Death Eater estates using information Narcissa provided, such as their locations. Voldemort's forces had been weakened significantly, which he'd heard really pissed the bastard off. His fortune had increased to the point it probably matched what he'd had in his vault before it had been emptied.

He only kept a small amount of galleons, however. Some of the rest had been exchanged for non-magical currency, as he was staying in that world. The rest he'd changed for gems and precious metals, having decided that keeping things he could trade in any country on the planet would be a good idea in case he had to leave the UK for whatever reason.

Harry smiled as he typed on his computer, hearing the distinctive roar of Jurassic Park's T-Rex. As much as she refused to admit it, Narcissa had become a bit of a cinephile, always eager to watch whatever Harry recommended. She'd enjoyed The Lord of the Rings, and had been fascinated by Star Wars. He had no doubt she'd discovered a new appreciation for non-magicals now that she'd actually been exposed to them.

His smile turned to a frown and he deleted what he'd just written, focusing back on what he was doing with a small mutter.

"What are you working on?" Came Narcissa's voice, making him look up to see she'd paused the movie and was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

He decided there was no harm in telling her. "I'm drafting a proposal to the Justice League for a potential method to combat climate change."

Narcissa's brow furrowed. "Climate change? You want to stop the seasons from changing?"

Harry sighed slightly, once again amazed at the ignorance of wand wavers. "Narcissa, have you, or anybody else, for that matter, noticed that each year the seasons get worse, with the summers getting hotter and the winters more biting?"

Narcissa tilted her head to the side. "Now that you mention it, I had heard some older wizards commenting on the difference between things in their youth and now. I always simply assumed that it was an idealization of their younger years, which many people do."

Harry shook his head and proceeded to give her the basics of climate change and its consequences. "…Things have improved a bit thanks to large non-magical companies such as Wayne Enterprises investing in green energy, but too many still pollute, so things are still worsening, even if it's at a slower rate."

Narcissa was frowning. "So muggles have damaged the planet to that extent?"

Harry didn't like the fact that this was worsening her views of non-magicals again, but decided to be honest. "Yes, but many are working on fixing the issue. It's just the greedy people who don't care about consequences that keep going. I imagine you know several purebloods like that, so it's not like magicals are all that different."

The witch nodded grudgingly before looking back at him. "You have an idea to combat this, then?"

Harry nodded and went back to work. "A magical filter."

She raised an eyebrow. "Go on…"

He spoke as he typed. "First is a filter that would be put on the smokestacks of factories. The filter will be a runic device that transfigures the harmful toxins escaping the stacks into something neutral or beneficial, like CO2 into oxygen, I'm not sure. A scientist should come up with what it should be changed into, because too much oxygen is also bad." He saved his current progress. "The second is a filter whose job it would be to change the toxins already in the air in the same manner. Basically, the first stops the problem from getting worse, the second reverses the damage."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "And how would you get the creation and installation of the filters done?"

"I was thinking Wayne Enterprises or some other mundane company could hire dissatisfied muggleborns proficient in charms and runes to create them, and then sell them to the various companies at near cost. If they become widespread enough they'll become standard, either by convenience or law." He responded.

"You do realize that is an absurd violation of the Statute of Secrecy, right?" The blond woman asked somewhat incredulously.

Harry looked up at her before rolling his eyes slightly and summoning the remote, changing the channel to BBC News, much to Narcissa's irritation. Before she could say anything Harry gestured to the screen, where footage of various superheroes, including a couple that were clearly using magic, against some sort of giant monster was being shown.

"…and through Istanbul. Millions in property damage occurred before the heroes managed to subdue the monster. It seemed especially vulnerable to magic, which made the ones known as Zatanna and Etrigan quite helpful. After the battle…"

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "What movie is this?"

"Not a movie. This is all real. It actually happened." When she turned to stare at him in shocked disbelief Harry simply smirked. "The Statute of Secrecy is an antiquated joke, Narcissa. Non-magicals are well aware of magic at this point. After the hundreds of beings of power, battles, and magical disasters that have occurred and been well documented, it's impossible for them not to. The magical governments are simply so out of touch they don't even realize that things like obliviation of witnesses of magic is pointless, because not only are mundanes aware, what they erased from the person's mind is probably on camera anyway."

Narcissa stared at him a bit longer before turning back to the news, which was now talking about a famous athlete being banned from his sport for using an alien substance to enhance his performance.

Harry chuckled at her surprise, going back to work.

An hour later, after Narcissa finally finished Jurassic Park, she turned to speak with him again. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask, what are your plans for the holidays?"

He paused, thinking about it. "One more raid, I think, before I relax for a while. Why?"

She shrugged. "No real reason. I just assumed you'd go visit your parents or something similar."

Harry looked at her like she was an idiot. "Uh, Cissy, my parents are dead."

She scowled at him. "Do not call me 'Cissy'. And I am well aware of that. I meant their graves, you foolish man." When she saw him freeze, his eyes wide, she blinked. "Don't tell me you've never done so."

"I… never considered it." He said slowly. "I don't even know where they're buried." He turned to her. "Do you know?"

Narcissa nodded. "Yes. They lie in St Jerome's graveyard, in Godric's Hollow."

Harry let out a breath. "I think… I'll go tomorrow then…"

"Very well."

* * *

Harry stood before the graves of his parents, gazing intently at them. Snow fell lightly around him, covering the cemetery in a blanket of white. The nearby church's bells rang the time, indicating that he had stood there for over fifteen minutes without a word.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. "Hello Mum, Dad. I'm sorry. I should have come sooner." He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I… don't know what to say. I guess… I hope you're happy?" He groaned. "Sorry, that was stupid. I just wonder… Are you proud? After everything I've done, the lives I've taken, can you still consider me a good man?"

"Why don't you ask them?"

Harry jumped, whirling around, taking a combat stance. "Wha…? Who are you?"

Before him stood a woman that looked vaguely familiar, like he had seen her in passing before. Though he was sure he would remember a distinctly attractive goth like her easily.

The woman smiled prettily, eyes glinting. "You can call me Teleute, Harry."

"Teleute?" He asked, making her nod. "Uh, ok?" He eyed her further. "Have we met?"

"Briefly. You had other things on your mind, like Silent Hill coming down around your ears." Teleute said, still smiling.

Harry took a step back. "What?" His eyes narrowed. "Wait… Wonder Woman told me that they didn't know how I got onto the Watchtower, but that they thought a being of power must have moved me there. That was you, wasn't it?"

Her smile widened and she gave a small bow. "Indeed, Harry. You'd just done something incredibly brave and impressive, even to the gods. While I know you were ready to die, I have a bit of knowledge about these things, and you needed to stick around a bit longer."

Harry swallowed slightly. "So… are you a goddess?"

Teleute tilted her head to the side. "Something like that. You'll find out eventually."

Harry stood down, not feeling like pissing off a non-hostile goddess. "Ok. Um, thank you for getting me out of there."

She nodded. "Like I said, not your time just yet." She stepped forward to stand beside him before the Potters' graves. "So, like I was saying, why don't you ask them?"

"How would I do that?" Harry asked slightly nervously.

"I am well aware you have the Resurrection Stone, Harry. It's in your pocket right now." She said calmly.

He slumped slightly, figuring it was a deity thing, and took the ring holding the stone out of his pocket. "I'm… scared, I guess."

She nodded in understanding. "Completely understandable, Harry, but I thought you were a Gryffindor."

Harry scratched the back of his head, feeling chagrined. "It's not just that. Didn't the story say it was painful for the dead to return to this side?"

"Yes, if they're kept here for extended periods. Cadmus kept his love here for hours on end, desperate for her company, and the more he used it, the more he wanted to see her. A few minutes for you to talk should be fine, though."

"So it's like a drug. I need to be careful about addiction." Harry murmured.

Teleute nodded agreeably. "Pretty much. Be careful, okay? We don't need you hanging yourself to be with your loved ones. You still have plenty of them here who would miss you."

"I will." He smiled at her. "Thank you."

She smiled back. "Don't worry about it, Harry. I'll go ahead and take my leave now. Don't worry though. You'll be seeing me again."

"Looking forward to it." He said. The next instant, he was once again alone in the cemetery. There weren't even footprints in the snow to indicate Teleute had actually been there.

He turned his gaze back to the ring, gazing at the symbol of the Hallows in the stone. He took a deep breath and, knowing instinctively what to do, turned the stone three times in his fingers. He looked back up… and his breath caught in his throat.

Before him were five figures. Unlike the ghosts that haunted Hogwarts, they were not silvery and translucent. They looked exactly the same way they had in life. Better, even, in some cases.

Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. "Mum, Dad…" He said softly, before turning to the others. "Sirius, Cybil, Alessa… I'm… I'm so happy to see you."

They were all smiling at him. "Harry…" Lily began, eyes wet and smile radiant. "My baby boy… Never doubt we are so, so proud of you."

"We are." James said. "Seriously, how many fathers can say their son kicked a fallen angel's ass? I have bragging rights for eternity!"

Harry let out a wet laugh, tears in his eyes. "Even considering what I've been doing to the Death Eaters?"

Sirius spoke up. "Harry, they made their choice. You're doing what you think is right. That's all anybody can ask of you."

"Are we happy that you've been forced down this path? Of course not." Said Lily. "If it were up to me you'd be somewhere safe and far from the fighting."

Harry shook his head. "I can't do that."

James somehow managed a bitterly proud smile. "We know."

Harry turned back to Sirius. "Padfoot… I'm sor-"

"None of that now." Sirius said. "Again, you did what you thought was right, same as I did. It might not have turned out the way we'd have wanted, but it's all we can do. Besides, it's my own damn fault for stopping to taunt Bella rather than take her down when I had the chance."

Harry sighed but nodded before turning to Cybil, who had been standing there waiting patiently with a smile on her face. "Cybil…"

"Same goes for me, Harry. You did what I asked you to do." She said firmly. "I told you before, I don't blame you. I blame that bastard Samael, and you dealt with him already." She grinned. "Good job, by the way. That was amazing."

Harry wiped a tear from his face but smiled. "I'm glad you're free of him."

"Trust me, so am I." She said with a snort. "I'm glad you're putting my gun to good use, by the way. Keep it up."

"I will." He said before turning to the last figure. "Hello Alessa."

"Hello Harry. I'm glad I can finally talk to you properly. Using music clips was entertaining, but not great for conversation." She said, smiling radiantly.

Harry chuckled before sobering slightly. "…I owe you so much Alessa. I would have given into Silent Hill if it wasn't for you."

Alessa shook her head. "Harry, you freed me, freed all of us, from unending torment. Every single soul trapped in those towns owes you a debt greater than you can imagine." She grinned slightly. "Seriously, you have so much good karma right now it's ridiculous."

He smiled back. "Glad to hear it. I could use some."

"We should go now, son." James said.

Harry's smile faded, but he nodded. "I understand. Thank you. This meant so much to me."

They all smiled at him before Sirius spoke up. "Harry, before I forget, my brother Regulus says you need to go to Grimmauld Place and ask Kreacher about completing his last wishes."

Harry looked confused. "Uh, ok. Why?"

Sirius shrugged. "Hell if I know. I suggest you do it though."

Harry nodded. "Ok, I'll get on that." Harry sighed. "Goodbye all. I guess I'll see you around."

"Never forget that we love you, Harry." Lily said softly.

Harry smiled softly. "I won't Mum. Promise." He turned the stone one more time, and he was once more alone in the cemetery.

* * *

The next day Harry walked into Grimmauld Place warily, unsure of what condition it was in and who might be there.

According to Dumbledore, after Sirius' death they were unsure of who ownership had been passed on to. They thought it might be Harry, but had been unable to get him to test it before his disappearance. After he was presumed dead they'd had Ron and Hermione test to see if either of them got it thanks to Harry's will by calling for Kreacher, who would answer to the one he was bound to and be unable to disobey an order.

To both Kreacher's and Hermione's dismay, she'd ended up being the one chosen, a fact that rankled Hermione's sensitivities, especially as she couldn't free the old elf for security reasons. She'd quickly given Dumbledore permission to continue using the old house for the Order before trying desperately to forget about it.

"Hello? Anybody here?" Harry called, before cringing as he realized what he'd done.

Predictably the portrait of Sirius' mother, Walburga Black, began to scream. "Filth! Despoiler! How dare you step into the halls of my fathers!"

Harry scowled and held up his hand, above which a ball of flames hovered. "Shut it, you crazy bitch!"

Walburga's mouth snapped shut before she glared down at him. "You wouldn't dare, you mongrel..."

"You wanna bet? It would do everybody a favor. The only reason I don't is because I need Kreacher's cooperation. But piss me off enough, and I'll stop giving a damn." Harry growled, handful of flames still held at the ready.

The two glared at each other for a while before a voice spoke with slight amusement. "You know, when I was told you were coming, I wasn't expecting I'd need to add more fire retardant wards to the house."

Harry extinguished the flames before turning around with a grin to see Remus at the foot of the stairs. "Moony!"

Remus smiled and enveloped Harry in a hug. "It's so good to see you, Harry. You have no idea how much it means to me to see you alive."

Harry hugged back, and after a few seconds they parted. "It's good to see you too, Moony. Sorry I didn't visit sooner. I've been busy."

"Yes, I imagine harassing Death Eaters to be time consuming." Remus said with a smirk before leading Harry into the kitchen. "The Ministry isn't happy about that, by the way."

"Like I care." Harry snorted. "They should be focusing on dealing with Tom's lackeys than on being pissed off somebody is doing their job for them."

Remus simply shrugged before turning to him. "So, Harry, I imagine you came for some reason other than to visit me."

"I actually came to speak with Kreacher." Harry said. He chuckled at Remus' raised eyebrow. "No really, I did. I think he has something important in his possession. Where is the little blighter?"

Remus eyed Harry before calling out. "Kreacher!"

The old house elf appeared with a pop, muttering to himself. "Filthy creature summons Kreacher. Oh, how humiliating…"

Harry sighed before speaking. "Kreacher, I'm here to talk to you about completing Regulus' final wishes."

Kreacher froze before turning to Harry. "Filthy halfblood says he can erase Kreacher's great failure?"

Harry nodded as Remus watched with interest. "I can try, at least. What exactly was his last request?"

Kreacher hesitated before popping away. Before the two men could say anything, he popped back clutching a heavy gold locket with a green stone S. Remus simply eyed it curiously, but Harry's eyes widened. "Kreacher, where did you get this?"

Kreacher slowly began to speak, explaining what he knew about what Voldemort had done and Regulus' response and final orders to Kreacher before his death. "…So Kreacher has been tryings to destroy it ever since, but nothing Kreacher does works! Fire, hammer, dropping from very high, nothing!"

After a few seconds of silence but for Kreacher's heavy breathing Harry spoke. "Kreacher, I can destroy it." At the elf's look of disbelief he nodded and pulled out the Resurrection Stone. "See this ring? It was cursed just like the locket is. I destroyed the curse on it, and I can do the same with the locket. Do you want me to do it?"

Kreacher eyed him distrustfully. "But the ring not being broken."

"I can cleanse it without breaking it, but I don't mind destroying the actual item after I do if it'll make you feel better." He said.

The elf hesitated before nodding and slowly setting the locket on the table. Harry slowly reached for it.

Remus spoke up. "You sure about this, Harry?"

Harry smiled reassuringly. "I've got this, Moony." He slowly rested his fingers on the locket, and as the werewolf and elf watched a black smoke began to appear. Much like he had with the ring, Harry's markings glowed as pinched his fingers like he was grabbing hold of something and slowly pulled up, dragging the struggling darkness up and away from the locket. He smirked at the shade trapped in his fingers. "One down, Tommy boy…" He squeezed the shade in his fist, and it wailed as it was destroyed, becoming nothing more than wisps of smoke which slowly faded. "There, done."

Remus just stared, and Harry glanced at Kreacher before picking up the locket and opening it. He grabbed both parts of the item and twisted and pulled them apart, leaving it in two pieces. Harry gave the pieces to Kreacher, whose hands were shaking, before the elf erupted into ugly, noisy tears.

Harry just grinned, satisfied by a job well done.

* * *

A few days after the destruction of the locket Horcrux, which he'd made sure to inform Dumbledore about, Harry was sprinting through the home of the Carrows, being followed by a couple of large beasts that looked like an unholy combination of a tiger and a scorpion.

"Someone's been doing some illegal breeding…" He muttered irritably as he ran. He turned briefly to shoot at the monsters, but only the piercing bullets did any damage, and that wasn't enough to slow them down much, hence the running.

Spotting an open door he quickly dove through and slammed it shut behind him, barring and warding it to hell and back. The doors shuddered as the beasts slammed into it, trying to get at him, but it looked like it would hold, at least for now. Taking some deep breaths Harry looked around the room to see where he'd ended up.

It was a large study/library. The shelves were full of books, some obviously dark even from a quick glance. He stepped towards the large desk to take a seat, sighing in relief as he tried to ignore the continued banging on the door.

He'd arrived at the Carrows' estate fifteen minutes before for his last raid planned for the year to find it empty of any humans. He'd been wandering around looking for anything of value when he'd come across the patrolling animals. So far this trip had been a bust.

Harry glanced down to see that the desk was covered in parchment, a book off to the side. Now that he was paying attention to it, the book radiated dark magic passively, indicating it was extremely bad mojo. Interested and slightly concerned he began to go through the papers to see what they were about.

His eyes furrowed as he went through them. One was a star chart with a label in spidery writing declaring it a chart of the sky during the Winter Solstice. He pulled over another to find it was a diagram of what appeared to be Stonehenge with several lines that it took Harry a bit to realize were indicators of the known leylines under the magical site. Another gave him a chill as it showed plans for a magic circle that even with his limited knowledge was not for anything good. All of it pointed to something bad.

"No. Nononono. Tom, you cannot be this stupid…" Harry told himself as he grabbed the book, ignoring the way its magics lashed out at him, needing to confirm what he was looking at.

The book didn't have a title, but it only took Harry less than a minute to confirm his fears. He thumped his head on the desk and groaned. "Goddammit!" He looked up and glared at the book before igniting it in flames with a gesture. Black, acrid smoke poured out of it, but Harry ignored it, already getting up to leave. He made a portal back to the penthouse, mind working furiously, stopping only long enough to set the rest of the room on fire, hoping to set Voldemort's plans back, though something told him it was too late.

The Solstice was in two days.

He needed to get ready.

* * *

 ** _Hello all. Been a while. I apologize. Real life tends to get in the way._**

 ** _Not much happened this chapter, though what did happen was important._**

 ** _The thing with Harry thinking up the magical filters was to show that he isn't going to focus on simply breaking stuff. He's going to try to think up solutions to problems that can't just be bashed in the face. A good hero should be more than just a bruiser, and Harry does have a decent mind under that mop of hair._**

 ** _I'd put off Harry's first use of the Resurrection Stone till it felt appropriate, and in front of his parents' graves during the holidays seemed like a good time for it._**

 ** _The final scene is the setup for the next chapter, which will most likely be short, but be the beginning of the multiversal journey. Speaking of which, nobody has guessed who will be joining Harry on his trip. You have one chapter left to try. Also, let's see if anybody can guess where I'll be dumping Harry first. Hint is that it's a video game series with a female protagonist._**

 ** _I'm sorry to say I will not be posting anything on any of my stories for at least a month. I'm leaving on a three week vacation tomorrow for the holidays, so I won't have time, or any inclination, really, to write. We'll see what I write when I get back._**

 ** _I think that's it for now. Thank you for reading. Happy Holidays and New Year._**


	14. Oh The Places You'll (Try Not To) Go

A gloved hand picked up a ringing phone and brought it up. "Hello?"

 _"Hey Robin, it's Harry."_

Robin smiled at hearing from his friend, trying to ignore the noise of Cyborg and Beast Boy playing a shooter. "Hey Harry, what's up?"

 _"I have a small situation over here that I would like to consult Raven about. Could you put her on, please?"_ Harry said.

"Sure, she's here anyway, one sec." Robin replied as he walked over to where Raven was sitting with a book by Agatha Christie.

She looked up at him with raised eyebrow before taking the phone from him and bringing it to her ear. "Yes?" Robin watched as the pale girl's passive face slowly became alarmed, what little color she had seeming to fade away. "Harry, I swear to every single deity that if this is a joke…" She seemed to listen intently. "Alright, how long till the event?" A second's pause before something in the kitchen exploded, much to Robin's growing consternation. "I'm sorry, how long!? And you're just calling me now!?" Raven's eyes twitched. "You need to disrupt the ritual. I don't care if it's a major historical site, don't hold back. It can't be allowed to be completed. I'll contact the League and we'll get there as soon as possible." She nodded to something he said. "Understood, see you soon." She quickly hung up.

"I imagine it is bad news, yes?" Starfire asked from where she sat on the floor, Silkie in her lap.

Raven clenched her jaw before turning to Robin. "Contact the League. We have a major problem."

Normally Robin would ask for some clarification before doing so, but from what he could tell they didn't have the time. He quickly moved to do so, the other boys having already paused their game and switched he screen to comm mode.

* * *

Harry walked out of his portal into the cool night, making sure his gear was secure with one hand while the other held his gun at the ready. Behind him followed Dumbledore, several members of the Order, and some aurors. Most of the wizards looked unnerved at having gone through a portal of pure darkness, but they kept quiet about it.

"Alright, I dropped us off about half a kilometer from Stonehenge." Harry said as he looked around, Dumbledore stepping up to his side. "With any luck we haven't been detected and we won't be till we're there. We'll need to walk the rest of the way. We have…" He looked at his watch. "About twenty five minutes till we're too late, so we should get a move on." Without waiting for a response he began to move in the direction of Stonehenge, from which a faint glow was emitting.

One of the aurors moved close to Harry as the group began to move, scowling. "Who the bloody hell put you in charge, boy?"

Before Harry had a chance to respond Tonks spoke up. "Shut it, Daniels. He alerted us to the threat and got us here. Not to mention he has some clue about what he's doing, unlike you."

Daniels turned to Tonks with a snarl. "I outrank you, you bint, and unlike you I didn't have to spread my legs to get my position."

Tonks' eyes narrowed, but before she could retort Harry did so. "Auror Daniels, shut the hell up. In case you forgot, we're in hostile territory, and pissing off somebody that might have to watch your back soon doesn't seem like the brightest idea. Besides which, I like and trust her more than you, and I wouldn't lose much sleep over breaking your kneecaps."

Daniels sputtered. "Are you threatening me, you little-!"

"Enough. I believe I see something." Dumbledore said, and the belligerent auror growled but went silent.

As they approached they began to make out several fires placed at what appeared to be specific locations, darkly robed figures moving in the firelight. Harry pulled some night vision binoculars from his bag and brought them to his eyes.

The figures were definitely Death Eaters, patrolling the edge of Stonehenge's circle. There was more movement the closer one got to the center of the formation, along with a glow above the center stone.

He pulled his binoculars away and offered them to Dumbledore, who promptly brought them up to his own eyes. "Alright, looks like it's begun. I see some sort of glow not caused by fire at the center. We need to move now, and move fast. Take the Death Eaters down with extreme prejudice, cause we don't have time to waste on protracted battles just to keep them alive."

Daniels once again felt the need to speak up. "Just because you've gone dark, Potter, doesn't mean the rest of us have. We'll follow procedure and-"

"For fuck's sake, Daniels, don't you have a damn brain?" Moody practically snarled. "Bones already authorized lethal force, and this is more important than you posturing to get that promotion you want. Now shut your trap and do as you're told. I'm already of a mind to tell the Minister that you put the entire mission at risk. And considering we're dealing with the threat of a _major demonic incursion,_ don't be surprised when you get shipped to Azkaban."

Daniel's teeth clicked as his mouth shut, and he proceeded to glare around at everybody gathered, fuming.

Harry had mostly ignored the byplay, putting away his binoculars. "I'll take point. I'm immune to the AK, not to mention a higher priority target. They'll focus on me and Dumbledore, allowing the rest of you to take them out. Me and Dumbledore will focus on making our way to Tom and disrupting the ritual, since we're the most likely to be able to do so."

Dumbledore nodded. "A sound plan." The Elder Wand was in his hand, and Harry focused on ignoring its siren song. "Ready when you are, my boy."

Harry gave everybody a moment to prepare themselves before beginning to run forward, hearing the others follow behind him. He brought up his gun, and a Death Eater went down with an agonized cry, clutching his shoulder. Even as he continued to run, streaks of light shot from behind him, aiming for the other Death Eaters nearby, who were just then turning at the sound of their compatriot's screams. Most missed, but some enemies dropped.

Unfortunately it appeared that they had less time than they thought to disrupt the ritual. The various fires were wavering oddly, changing colors. Harry sped up.

Apparently Voldemort's flunkies had grown brains, however, as suddenly a wall sprung up from the ground as they were getting close, blocking their path. It was long to either side, meaning they'd have to take time to go around, stalling them for a few more precious seconds.

"Fuck!" Harry growled. Some of the team began to move to the edges of the wall, but before they could get very far Dumbledore waved his wand almost lazily, and the middle of the wall seemed to melt away like it had turned to liquid. For all Harry knew, it might have.

The Death Eaters who had been looking at the edges of the wall were caught completely by surprise by the fact that their obstruction was useless, giving the attackers precious moments to go on the offensive. A couple of darkly robed figures managed to duck away and get behind pillars, but most fell to gunshots and spells.

By this point every Death Eater was on their way to intercept, making Harry scowl. They couldn't allow themselves to be slowed down by the dark wizards. He kneeled and put a hand to the ground, glaring at an incoming group of five. The approaching Death Eaters shrieked as, with an application to will, the ground under their feet suddenly erupted into a forest of large spikes, impaling them. More than one managed to survive, at least momentarily, but that just meant they were left to scream. His backup was quick to launch spells at them, putting them out of their misery.

Harry was getting worried. The stone pillars had begun to glow, eldritch designs appearing along their surfaces. He traded glances with Dumbledore, who nodded, and the two quickly resumed moving, ignoring everything beyond the center of the circle the best they could, trusting their companions to deal with it. More than one Death Eater fell to spellfire for focusing on them too much.

Soon they reached the center, finding Voldemort standing in front of the center ritual stone, arms raised to the sky, chanting in a language that hurt the ears as an orb floated before him, emitting dark energies.

Harry didn't hesitate or stop to banter, immediately raising his gun and firing at the back of Voldemort's head. The bullet comprised of his power slammed into a shield that appeared inches from Voldemort's form. Harry scowled and fired again, this time focusing on a penetrating bullet. It too was stopped by the shield. Harry glanced down and saw a circle of power drawn on the ground around Voldemort's body.

"Well damn." He glanced at Dumbledore. "Any ideas?"

The old man stepped forward, brow furrowed, and began to wave his wand in a complicated series of patterns even as the madman ignored them entirely, focused as he was on what he was doing. He stepped back after almost half a minute. "It's an extremely complex shielding matrix. Virtually unknown. It's only downside is that it takes an absurdly long time to prepare, but it will block anything, magical or physical, short of the Killing Curse."

Harry growled low in his throat. He knew Dumbledore would never cast the Killing Curse. He just didn't have it in him, and normally Harry considered that a good thing. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a problem at the moment. So he sighed and raised his hand, pointing at Voldemort. He ignored Dumbledore's frown and gathered his energies. "Ava-"

*BOOM*

He was interrupted by a sudden blast of hot, dry wind which was emitted from the orb that floated above the ritual stone. It was so strong it launched the unprepared Harry and Dumbledore back, making them smash against the ground and stones. They could vaguely hear Voldemort's high voice rising into a crescendo through the howling wind.

Harry forced his eyes open, trying to figure out what was going on.

Before Voldemort the orb that had been the focus of the ritual seemed to have dropped down to rest against the ritual stone, seeming to be partly embedded into it. Above it a portal was opening, similar to Harry's except for the sheer amount of wrongness that emanated from it. Once it got large enough a demon stepped through.

It towered over Voldemort by over a foot, with a large form that seemed to be made up of barely cooled molten rock, rivulets of glowing red liquid running along its form. In its clawed hands it held a large axe made of what appeared to be ebony.

It grinned, its large mouth filled with razor sharp fangs. "Good work, human. As per the pact made, Lord Belial's legion shall aid you."

Voldemort grinned malevolently even as more demons began to step through the portal. "Yes, and in return for your assistance, the souls of my enemies are yours."

Harry coughed and got up, groaning slightly. "Tom, I knew you were an idiot, but this really takes the bloody cake."

Voldemort turned to him with a scowl. "Potter!" He spat. "I suggest you lay back down and wait to die. It's over. I've won."

Harry eyed the growing number of demons, glanced at his allies, still busy dealing with the remaining Death Eaters, and turned to see Dumbledore slowly getting up, a gash on his head oozing blood. He looked back at Voldemort. "Meh, I've seen worse odds."

Voldemort was about to retort when the demon began to chuckle darkly. "I see. So you are the usurper, thief of Samael's power." Its horrible grin somehow managed to widen. "Destroying such a champion of the light… That will surely please my Master."

Harry held out his hand to the side, summoning his gun back into his hand as he gazed back at the demon fearlessly. "Funny, I was just thinking about how pissed Belial will be when a send your head back through the portal to him."

The demon laughed. "Foolish mortal, not only are you hopelessly outnumbered, but facing one of Lord Belial's greatest champions!" It sneered. "I'd like to see you try to harm me."

That's when the speeding rhino slammed into it with the force of a freight train, launching it flying.

Harry blinked, taken off guard. Voldemort wasn't any better, mouth gaping slightly. Even Dumbledore, who was finally on his feet, looked like he couldn't believe what had just happened.

One of the demons that were coming through the portal was suddenly pierced through by a spear of green light, making it fall, as a woman with wings fell from the sky like a meteor, her mace pulping the head of yet another demon. Harry grinned and looked up, seeing many shapes flying down from a glowing tube like portal in the sky to attack, while another, similar portal appeared at the edge of Stonehenge, letting more figures rush into the fray.

The cavalry had arrived.

"I thought I told you to stop the ritual before it got to this point." A near monotone voice said from beside Harry as a ball of darkness was launched into another demon.

Harry gave Raven a sheepish smile even as he aimed his gun and started firing. "I tried, ok? The ritual was completed faster than I thought, and Tommy boy grew a brain, using some sort of shield to protect himself." He glanced over to see that Dumbledore had engaged Voldemort, who looked more than slightly pissed, their wands blurring in a dazzling display of magical combat.

A green cheetah rushed over to the dark pair before transforming into Beast Boy. "Did you see Big Ugly's face!? It was great!"

Harry chuckled. "Excellent entrance, mate. Nine out of ten. Now let's deal with the rest." Beast Boy grinned, saluting playfully, before a gorilla was suddenly pouncing on another demon, bringing it down.

Harry looked around at the rest of the battle. Cyborg and Robin were back to back, Cyborg blowing enemies back with his sonic cannon while the other teen watched his six. Flash was rushing around the battlefield, mostly knocking out Death Eaters. Superman and Supergirl were primarily engaging the demons, knowing that their weakness to magic would put them at a disadvantage against the wizards. Wonder Woman was deflecting several spells with her bracelets, including AKs, to defend a downed Kingsley while Tonks tried to move him away. Starfire rained down energy bolts on the heads of anything stupid enough to enter her range.

Unfortunately the portal had grown even as it continued to disgorge demons, meaning that for every one that was taken out, two more appeared. Harry turned to Raven. "We need to shut the portal down, or we're never going to finish this."

Raven eyed the portal. "I'll see what I can figure out. I'd say break the focus, but considering how much energy it's pumping out, it might cause a significant explosion, so I need to check it out first."

"Ok, let's…" Harry was interrupted when a loud roar rang out, and he turned to see the demon leader rushing in, snarling angrily, a large wound on its chest glowing brightly. "On second thought, you check that out, I'll distract dumbass." Without waiting for acknowledgement he rushed the large and pissed off demon. "Hey buddy, have a nice trip?"

The demon howled. "I'LL RIP OUT YOUR HEART, FOOL!" It swung its axe, Harry only barely dodging.

"Yeah, that's how I feel when I fly coach too." He quipped as he raised a leg surrounded in dark energies in a kick to his opponent's chest. The demon was forced back a step before once again swinging its axe down. Harry danced aside and launched a high pressure stream of water at the fiery demon, hoping it would have an effect. It was gratifying when he heard the demon shriek in pain, steam wafting off of it.

"DAMN YOU, YOU PEST!" It cried.

"You are such a fucking cliché…" Harry said before bringing his gun up and firing piercing bullets without pause even as he continued launching water at it. He continued on for almost a minute before the demon stopped moving. He stopped and waited for the steam to clear before relaxing as he saw that his enemy was now a statue of dark rock, looking solid and unmovable. He sighed and holstered his gun before turning back to the portal, intent in assisting Raven.

His only warning was the sound of shifting rock.

He cried out as something slammed into his shoulder, turning with the blow to find the demon moving with what looked like great effort in an attempt to kill him, having brought its axe down on him. Thankfully the blade hadn't penetrated his coat, though it was a near thing. Without thinking Harry slammed a darkness wreathed palm strike into the demon's wrist, shattering it. He quickly grabbed the falling axe, shifted his hold on it, and brought it around, striking the demon's neck and removing its head from its shoulders in an explosion of debris.

Harry grunted, scowling at the dead monster and rotating his shoulder, feeling it ache immensely. "…Prick." He quickly made his way to Raven, who was taking down another demon even as she tried to study the portal. He brought his new axe down on a demon that was trying to get her while she was distracted. "Got it figured out yet?"

Raven nodded. "I know enough. The focus needs to go, and when it does it will release a burst of energy. I'm not sure what it'll do, but we should be fine if we get some distance from it."

"Alright, you get to telling everybody to get away." He reached into a pocket and pulled a cylinder out.

Raven's gaze went flat(er). "You brought a high explosive."

Harry shrugged. "I figured it might come in handy. I even added some magic to magnify its power a bit. Should do the trick."

Raven sighed as she watched him set it. "Fine. Let's get everybody out of the blast zone. How long are you setting it?"

"Thirty seconds seems good. Let's get…" Harry whipped around when he heard Voldemort cry out triumphantly to find the madman standing over Dumbledore, the Elder Wand clutched in his hand. The demon behind Dumbledore, fist raised to crush his head, made what happened obvious. Harry didn't think.

With a terse "Get out!" to Raven he launched himself forward. He brought his hand up and fired an overpowered blasting curse at the demon before it could smash Dumbledore's head, launching it feet in the air. Voldemort turned, face surprised, as Harry brought his axe down and cleaved the arm holding the Elder Wand off at the shoulder. Voldemort shrieked, staggering back even as Harry summoned the Hallow into his free hand and brought it up to aim at Voldemort's face, only vaguely noticing the feeling of exultation he felt from it as he did so. Voldemort's eyes were wide and more than slightly fearful, and before Harry could launch a piercing curse into his eye he apparated, leaving behind part of his foot as he splinched himself in his haste.

Harry lowered his arm and turned to Dumbledore. The headmaster was groaning, but his eyes were open, if slightly unfocused. Mindful of the impending explosion Harry quickly conjured a stretcher and directed it away from Stonehenge as quickly as safely possible after loading the old wizard onto it. He briefly glanced at the Elder Wand in his hand. He'd forgotten how much easier magic was with a wand. He shook his head and moved to get away as well as he put the wand in his pocket, noting that he was the only one left in the circle of stones besides the still incoming demons. Unfortunately he was just slightly too late.

The bomb he'd set by the focus orb went off with the force of the equivalent amount of C4 despite being a lower grade of explosive just as another demon stepped through. The orb, and the ritual stone it was embedded in, shattered into so much shrapnel, some of it hitting Harry even as he was knocked off his feet. That wasn't the worst of it, however. The portal began to slowly close, which was a good thing. However, it began to suck everything nearby into it. This included Harry.

Ears still ringing from the explosion, it took him a few precious seconds to realize what was happening. He quickly began scrabbling against the dirt, trying to keep from being dragged into a portal that lead to a demon lord's realm. He felt his feet leave the ground as the force of the suction steadily increased. "Ah fuck!" He yelled as his fingers lost purchase. Just as his entire body lifted into the air, a large hand grabbed hold of one of his arms. Harry looked up to see a green gorilla holding onto him with a bruising grip, its other hand holding onto the edge of Wonder Woman's lasso.

"Holy shit, am I happy to see you, Beast Boy." Harry exclaimed over the now howling wind, making the gorilla grin. Unfortunately that grin promptly dropped when his large hand began to slip from the lasso.

The two hung there for several endless seconds, Beast Boy's feet soon leaving the ground as well. The looked at each other, both knowing that they needed to think of something fast. Finally Harry spoke. "When I say so, let go, BB." Beast Boy looked at him like he was a moron. "I'll open a portal of my own to the area nearby where I first arrived at Stonehenge before we hit the demonic one. We'll be fine." Beast Boy huffed, but reluctantly nodded.

Harry turned towards the portal again, again and focused on opening his own. It was fighting him, not interacting well with the magic of the already open portal, but he kept at it. Unfortunately he ran out of time. Beast Boy let out a loud bellow of warning before he finally lost his grip and the two began to fly into the portal. In desperation Harry managed to open his own portal. As they approached it he noted that it wavered and fluctuated oddly, strange colors appearing in what should be inky darkness. Then the two were through.

The heroes searched for them in the surrounding area for an hour afterward to make sure they were alright, having heard Harry say where they should appear, but they couldn't find hide nor hair of them.

They were gone.

* * *

Harry sighed as he walked out of his portal into the London Underground. A day of fruitless searching were wearing on him, especially after the last revelation. He opened his eyes… and stopped.

In front of him were two people, neither of which had noticed him, making him glad he'd learned to layer a notice-me-not on the portals so nobody would notice him coming and going.

On the side near the tracks was a tall man, brown hair and beard neatly trimmed. He wore a brown, well-tailored suit with a top hat. He was looking at a pocket watch and playing with an old key.

Opposite him was a girl that appeared to be a few years older than Harry. She had sickly pale skin and disheveled shoulder length black hair. Her cheeks were gaunt and she looked unhealthily thin, which along with the darkened skin around her pale green eyes made her look quite unwell. She wore a filthy black and white dress with a striped, long-sleeved top and black skirt, complete with black stockings, ankle-high boots, and a dirty white apron.

The girl was glaring at the man, who appeared unconcerned. She stalked forward and snatched the key from his hand, catching him off guard, before turning and walking away from him, facing the entrance stairs to the Underground. She stopped, appearing to be in thought. Then she turned, and both the man's and Harry's eyes widened when she seemed to change.

She no longer looked unhealthy. Indeed, she looked quite beautiful. Her complexion was healthier, and her hair was longer and straighter, with a reddish tinge. She appeared to also have some light make-up, peach lipstick and black eyeliner with dark pink eye shadow. She wore a pretty blue dress with a white apron over it tied in a bow in the back, an odd adornment shaped like a skull in the knot of the bow and two astrological symbols on the front pockets: the symbols for Ceres and Jupiter. Around her neck was a necklace with the symbol of Omega. She also wore striped stockings under black, buckled knee-high boots. Quite worryingly, the front of her apron appeared to have some blood splatter.

The man looked shocked, unable to believe his eyes at the transformation the girl had undergone. Then she once again stalked forward, appearing calm but focused. He stumbled back a step when she got a foot away. Harry only had a moment to realize what she was about to do, hearing the train coming, when the girl suddenly shoved the bearded man hard, sending him onto the tracks. The man hadn't even hit the ground when the train slammed into him, obviously killing him instantly.

The girl stood and stared at the train passing by before looking down at the key in her hand, clutching it tightly. Harry decided it was time to make himself known, stepping forward. "I hope you had a good reason for what you just did."

The girl whipped around to stare at him, surprised, and Harry couldn't help but think that this might be trouble as what looked like a kitchen knife, though beautifully crafted and detailed, appeared in her hand.

* * *

 ** _And so, the multiversal journey begins!_**

 ** _Let's see how many know what the first world is with that scene at the end. Only one person guessed in the reviews. I'm glad. That means I'm not doing what's expected. ^.^_**

 ** _Pretty much everybody wanted Tomb Raider. That is coming, but not just yet. I haven't played Rise of the Tomb Raider yet, and want to do that first. I'm actually installing it on my computer as I type this._**

 ** _Also, nobody guessed that Beast Boy would be the one to join Harry on his journey. Almost everybody assumed it would be a girl, and most thought it would be Raven. While that would have been entertaining, I have plans for Beast Boy. Oh yes, plans. Mwahahahaha…_**

 ** _I've recently gotten into the Worm fandom, reading stories such as Queen of Blood and With Grace and Elegance. However, I have not read Worm itself. From what I know, it's too grimdark for me. Warhammer is grimdark, but its absurdity acts as a buffer. Worm isn't like that. However, I do want to use the setting in this story sometime in the future. So I'm asking for anybody well acquainted with Worm canon to contact me so I can ask questions about things that haven't been touched on in the fics I've read so I can know enough to use it. The wiki only goes so far, after all. I already have ideas for it. Besides, Taylor's cool. And I could do amazing things with her. Radscorpions, anyone?_**

 ** _Let's see, what else… Well, I'm not really happy with this chapter in general. I've said it multiple times, I'm not great when it comes to combat, and this chapter was mostly that. Hopefully it'll do as we get into more interesting things._**

 ** _Anyway, I think that's all I have to say for now. Please review with further theories of where he'll go next. They give me delicious, delicious ideas. Till next time._**


	15. Protestations Of Guilt

Alice stood gazing at the key to her sister's door she held after she pushed Bumby in front of the train. It was finally over. Her mind was now safe, and the man who had destroyed her life and the lives of many other children would no longer hurt anybody ever again.

"I hope you had a good reason for what you just did." A young man's voice said from the far end of the platform, making Alice whip around, shocked. She was sure that there hadn't been anyone there just a moment ago!

With barely a thought, the reassuring weight of the Vorpal Blade was in her hand as she studied this new complication.

He stood straight backed and confident, not worried in the slightest at the sight of her. Unsurprising, really, considering he couldn't see the Blade, it existing only in her mind, though she clung to it like a safety blanket. He only saw a pale, filthy girl who, admittedly, had just murdered a man.

Eyes as green as emeralds gazed at her intently, seeming to glow with some sort of light. His hair, black as a raven's wing, looked somewhat unkempt, though on him it looked like it was meant to be so. His skin was pale, but not unhealthily so, contrasting interestingly with the rest of his features. He dressed in a sharp black suit that would have made Bumby look at him enviously, his vest a dark green with silver accents that contrasted nicely with the rest. On his head he wore a hat that tied the entire outfit together. All in all, he looked like a nobleman, the type of boy that would have schoolgirls, no matter the age, sighing and pining. Only his calloused hands gave away the lie.

And yes, he was a boy, she realized. She was almost shocked when she realized he was likely a few years younger than her own nineteen years, he stood so surely.

She heard Cheshire's voice whisper to her. _"Be very careful Alice. There is something different about this one, and now, he holds your freedom in his hands. We know not what his intentions are."_

As Alice turned to face the boy fully, she tightened her grip on the Vorpal Blade. She would not go back to the gaol. She would not! She had just freed herself from Bumby and his damage. She would not lose it all when she just gained it back!

Briefly, she despaired. Would the universe ever tire of seeing her suffer? Then she steeled herself back. She'd had enough of running from her problems. She'd face this head on.

"I assure you, young sir, that I had very good reasons for what I just did." She said crisply, no sign of her inner turmoil showing in her voice.

"Indeed? Considering what you have demonstrated so far, I believe that there's definitely more to this than meets the eye." He responded, voice calm. He had a nice voice, she absently noted. Then her brow furrowed slightly. What she'd demonstrated? What did he mean? "Now why don't you put that knife away so we can talk about it?"

Alice's mind screeched to a halt, like a train such as the one that had finally ended Bumby had derailed. Was he telling her to put away the Vorpal Blade? "You… You can see it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Of course. I can see that, and the pretty blue dress you have on. I'm sure anybody could. Your target certainly did. He was even more surprised than I was when it appeared."

Alice reeled. They could see her dress? That was impossible. Her dress, her knife, they were imaginary, things her mind made up that she used to make herself feel better. They were not meant to have a presence in the real world.

She heard a satisfied chuckle. _"Oh Alice, I always told you. You are special. More than you know. And not just because you have me in your head."_ Cheshire said in his normal, self-satisfied tone.

Alice hesitated before moving towards the pillar she was standing next to. As the boy watched she hesitantly ran the edge of the Vorpal Blade against the brick. She stepped back and stared at the shallow scratch that was left.

"I take it you didn't know you could do that?" He said, sounding almost amused despite the serious look still in his eyes.

Remembering the situation and setting aside this revelation for now, she responded, holding the knife ready at her side, just in case. "I have your word you will not try anything?"

"I promise I will not do anything to you, at least not till I know what's going and why you did what you did." He seemed to hesitate before continuing. "Besides, you aren't the only one around with interesting abilities." He held a finger up in demonstration, and to her surprise a small, black flame hovered above his fingertip.

Alice stared once again, unsure if she was imagining what she was seeing. A part of her began to think that she was imagining this boy, another delusion of her broken mind.

 _"You are not."_ Cheshire's voice came, reassuring her with a surprisingly direct answer. _"You have reclaimed your mind. Though wounded, our Wonderland is safe, at least for now. Nothing such as him lurks inside it."_

She took a breath before letting the knife disappear from her hand even as his dark flame did the same. He smiled. "There, that's better." He looked around at the subway platform. "I think we should take this talk someplace else, though. The flat I'm staying in isn't far."

Alice eyed him but nodded, ready to summon the Vorpal Blade, or something even more dangerous, back to her hand should he have any malicious intention. "Very well. Lead the way, if you'd please."

"Er…" He eyed her. "We might want to do something about your outfit first."

She blinked. "Why? It is infinitely better than the rags Pris Witless gave me."

He blinked at the odd name, something she admitted she'd once done as well. What did one have to do to have the surname 'Witless' foisted on them and their descendants? He shook it off quickly though. "Well, there is the fact that the apron is covered in splatters of blood, which might worry the passerby slightly."

Alice looked down, seeing what he was talking about. It had never actually registered to her, but her apron was indeed covered in blood. She furrowed her brow. He did have a point. Going out in public in blood covered clothing would probably alarm some people, now that she knew they could see it.

Well, considering it was made from her mind, perhaps she could alter it? She focused on removing the blood. Thought of the apron being pristinely white, only the black symbols on the pockets being the extent of the color. The bloodstains wavered, but returned to existence shortly afterward. She let out a small sound of irritation.

"Don't focus just on the blood or the apron." The boy (she still didn't know his name, she realized) said, sounding oddly knowledgeable. "Your outfit, while looking like several different pieces, I believe is a complete set. It all comes together. So focus on the entire outfit and how it should look sans blood."

She nodded slowly and looked back down, focusing on an image of the entire outfit as he'd said, and then thought of it without blood. She felt some resistance, but slowly the blood began to fade, until finally the outfit was pristine.

"Much better." He said with a smile. "Any trouble with it?"

Alice shook her head. "Not much. I have to concentrate to keep it clean, but it is not too difficult."

He nodded before beginning to move past her to the exit, making her tense. "Understood. You can let it go back to normal once we reach my flat. That way your full attention can be on our conversation. This way."

Alice waited till he passed her by a few paces before moving to follow, palm itching, ready to stab her knife into him if it became necessary. She hoped it didn't, however. She had already inadvertently killed Witless, and outright murdered Bumby. That was more than enough deaths on her mind, no matter how deserved they might have been.

They walked through the streets of London, and Alice was frankly amazed by the change clothing could make on peoples' perceptions of a person. Before, when she'd been dressed in the rags Pris Witless gave her, they'd ignored her at best and treated her like something inhuman at worst.

Now, they gave her and her companion small smiles and nods, like she was suddenly worth something because she looked like she came from a good household. She wondered absently if she had ever judged anybody similarly before the fire. If so, she felt deeply ashamed for doing so.

Soon they reached a large, well maintained residential building. The doorman opened the door for them, nodding them in, and the boy nodded back to him with a smile as he walked in, Alice following a bit more closely now. They proceeded up the stairs to the third floor and he pulled a key out of his pocket as he led her to a door at the end of the hallway. He opened the door and invited her in. "After you." His smile didn't reach his hard eyes as he watched her carefully. She supposed she shouldn't be surprised. It's not as if she trusted him at all either. She nodded and stepped into the room.

Gazing around she noted that it was rather spartan. There was nothing to indicate anybody lived here at all, no personal touches beyond a cat curled up in a sunbeam by the window she only absently noticed, though something tickled at her mind regarding it.

As if knowing the direction her thoughts had taken he answered her unasked question as he shut the door. "We've only been here a day, so there's not much here. You can let your control over your outfit go, by the way. BB, wake up!"

Blinking and wondering who 'BB' was, she saw the cat begin to stretch, blearily opening its eyes. That was when she realized what had caught her attention.

The cat was green.

She'd never heard of a green cat before, but there it lay, stretching as it was roused from its nap. It turned its head toward them. When it saw her it paused and let out a questioning meow.

"I encountered her in the underground. Trust me, I had a good reason to bring her up." The boy (she still didn't know his name!) said as he removed his coat and put it on the rack. "Now get up and ready so we can talk to her."

Alice opened her mouth, about to ask him why he was conversing with the cat like it would be part of the upcoming interrogation when the cat began to… shift. Its limbs began to lengthen as its body grew. Its front paws grew into hands, and its back paws into feet. Its fur receded till only what was on its head remained, and finally its face morphed into that of a human boy.

Alice stared, unable to believe what she was seeing. Where there had once been a cat was now a human boy, even younger than the other she'd followed. At least, she thought he might be human. He was still green. Green skin (or at least face, as the rest of him was covered by his odd outfit), with darker green hair on top of his head, and green eyes of a different shade than hers or the other boy's. The fact that he also had pointed ears did not escape her.

He wore odd attire, a sort of jumpsuit that was nearly skin tight, exposing his lightly muscled body far more than was proper, colored black and purple with a belt made of some sort of silver metal around his waist. He wore grey gloves on his hands, and odd looking footwear the same colors as his outfit.

 _"Well now, this is most interesting. It seems to me, dear Alice, that these two must have quite a story to tell. But caution is still paramount. We know not what other abilities they have in reserve. Be ready for anything."_ Cheshire said, sounding more than slightly intrigued.

The green boy grinned at her, showing he had small fangs. "Yo. How's it going? Name's Beast Boy."

She blinked at his odd manner of speech (he had to be American) before responding slightly incredulously. "Beast Boy? I highly doubt that, if only because no parent would be so foolish. Your true name, if you'd please?"

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow at her before glancing at the other boy, who was chuckling lightly. "Sure, guess it can't hurt, considering the situation…" He grinned once again. "Garfield. Garfield Mark Logan." Before she could respond he turned to the other boy. "You know Harry, I didn't expect you to find a girl you wanted to bring up so quickly. I'll go wander around and get out of your hair, kay? "

It took her a moment to realize what he meant, but Alice tensed and called upon her Vorpal Blade and let the blood return to her apron as she moved away from the two warily, knife held up and ready as her eyes narrowed. "What!? Is that why you brought me up here!? To, to take advantage of me with blackmail? Because I will tell you now, I will not submit!"

Garfield yelped and scrambled back in surprise while Harry (well, at least she finally had a name) sighed tiredly and massaged the bridge of his nose. "BB, you moron, that was a stupid thing to say right now."

The green youth held up his hands. "Sorry, sorry! It was a joke, I swear! Nobody is going to do anything to you, much less something like that! Promise!"

Alice eyed them dangerously before turning her gaze to Harry as he spoke. "Honestly, miss, all I want to do is find out why you did what you did and if I need to involve the authorities. I have no intentions towards you beyond that. Beast Boy simply has a bad habit of making crude jokes and speaking without thinking."

Slowly, carefully, Alice brought her knife down to her side, still ready to use it, but no longer openly threatening. "Very well. I will believe you… for now. But I'll be watching you, so do not try anything."

Harry nodded as Garfield let out a sigh of relief. "Understood. Why don't you take a seat and I'll make some tea so we can talk."

As she sat down at the small nearby table the boys walked into the kitchen area. She could make out Garfield whispering to Harry as the latter began gathering teacups and tea leaves. "Dude, what the hell!? She suddenly had a knife, and she's covered in blood. Where did you find her?"

"I'll explain in a moment, BB. Go sit down." Harry said in a more normal voice. Garfield sighed but did as told, sitting opposite Alice, arms crossed and eyeing her. Soon afterwards Harry walked over, setting three teacups on the table, along with the sugar and milk. Alice eyed the cups, slightly confused as the water within looked tepid at best. Her eyebrows rose, however, when he tapped his finger against a cup and steam began to rise. He did the same to the other cups before dropping the leaves in. He slid a cup over to Alice, then did the same for Garfield, who made a small face before taking it, leaving Harry to pull the last one to himself as he sat.

The sat in silence for a minute or so before Harry sighed. "Well, we should probably get started. BB already introduced himself, so I guess it's my turn. My name is Harry Potter. I practice magic."

Alice eyed him. "…Alice Liddell. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She added more out of habit than for any other reason. "Magic? Truly?"

Harry smiled and waved his fingers over a teaspoon, making it suddenly change into a surprised looking little snake. The snake flicked its tongue out a few times before Harry changed it back. "Yes, magic."

"I… see…" Alice said slowly. She then turned to Garfield. "And you can turn into a cat. Is that magic too?"

Garfield shook his head. "Not just a cat. I can turn into any animal I want. And it's a side effect of my parents using an experimental serum to save my life from a rare disease, not magic."

Alice blinked. "Any animal?"

Garfield grinned and nodded. "Yep."

"Fascinating…" Alice said slowly.

Garfield turned to Harry. "So, dude, what's this all about?"

Harry let out a small sigh. "I arrived at the underground station as planned in time to see Alice here push a man in front of the train. I figured finding out why she'd kill a man would be a good idea."

Garfield blinked at Harry before turning to Alice, eyes slightly narrowed. "Okay… I'll trust your judgment in not immediately calling the police." He leaned back in his seat. "So, what's the story? And it better not be 'I thought it'd be fun.'"

"Of course not!" Alice snapped before stopping and taking a deep breath and a sip of the surprisingly good tea. "Bumby was a monster, and that was the only thing I could do to stop him."

Harry and Garfield glanced at each other before turning back to her. "I think you should start at the beginning, Alice." Harry said.

Alice looked down, collecting her thoughts. "Eleven years ago my family died due to a fire in our home while we slept. I only survived because I jumped out of the window of my room and landed in the snowdrift outside." Her grip on the teacup tightened as she remembered, the memories made worse by what she'd realized not that long ago.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Alice." Harry said softly, and Garfield nodded in agreement, looking somber.

"Thank you." Alice said before continuing. "The event… damaged me." She said, not liking to admit it to virtual strangers. "I spent the next ten years in the Rutledge Asylum. I was… in bad condition due to the trauma…" She turned her arms and looked at her wrists without thinking about it, remembering the cuts she'd made with the spoon. They had healed and hadn't even left a scar, which is what the doctors had expected, but she could still remember the way the blood poured out.

She did not notice the boys glance at each other darkly, both guessing easily what her actions meant.

She snapped out of her recollection and took another fortifying sip of tea. "I did, however, manage to recover enough that I was released from the asylum not even a year ago. A woman by the name of Pris Witless, who worked at the asylum, helped me find a room at the Houndsditch Home for Wayward Youth." She scowled. "Of course, now I know that wasn't an altruistic action on her part." At the boys' looks she continued. "Witless expected to be able to extort me for money thanks to a false confession of being the cause of the fire I made during my time in Rutledge with the help of Bumby. I'm sure she even knew what he did at Houndsditch, though I have no proof."

"Isn't Bumby the name of the guy you killed?" Garfield asked, watching her.

Alice nodded. "He was the head of the orphanage, and the psychiatrist. He was working on me with the remnants of my experience with the fire." Her hands fisted. "At least, that's what he led me to believe. In truth, he was erasing my memories with hypnosis, trying to leave me an obedient puppet. A doll."

Harry leaned forward, fingers interlaced as he watched her. "Why?"

Alice let out a breath. "I only just recently managed to throw off his influence and recover my memories. Bumby has been using the orphanage for his own purposes. He used hypnosis on all the children to do the same as he was doing to me before selling them off into prostitution to pedophiles."

"WHAT!?" It was surprisingly Garfield who shouted, standing up and slamming his hands onto the table. "He did what!?" He snarled, looking far more dangerous than she had ever expected from someone such as him.

"Beast Boy." Harry said quietly, and Alice glanced at him to find some sort of smoke leaking from his eyes. In spite of that, he spoke calmly. "Sit down. Bumby is dead. He's been stopped. And unless I'm wrong Alice has more to say."

After Garfield did as told, breathing heavily in his rage, Alice continued. "You are correct, there's more. I remembered that he was the cause of the fire that killed my family. Apparently he was infatuated with my older sister, Elizabeth. That night, he snuck into our house and into Lizzie's room." She closed her eyes. "Then he… he…" She grit her teeth. "God, I still remember the sounds, even if I didn't understand them at the time…"

She was startled out of her memories when she felt a calloused hand talk hold of hers and looked up to see Harry holding it, a reassuring smile on his face. It was almost unreal to her. When was the last time someone held her hand with the sole intention of comforting her? The fact that it was a strange boy she only knew the name of made it all the odder. She took a deep breath and gave Harry a small, thankful smile anyway. "In any case, once Bumby… finished… he started the fire in order to cover up what he'd done."

"And so he was trying to remove your memories in order to make sure that there would be no one who knew, since you didn't do him the favor of dying." Harry said. "Yes, I can see that."

Alice nodded. "When I confronted him in the station, he pointed out that nobody would believe him over me, as he was a respected man with a perfect reputation, while I was known as the mad girl who killed her family. Especially as he'd already disposed of the evidence." She shrugged lightly. "So I only had one option left in order to stop him, and I took it. I'm not sorry."

All three were silent for a time before Garfield sighed, leaning back into his chair again. "Alright, now what? What're you gonna do?"

Alice shook her head. "I… I don't know. I haven't had a chance to think about that. I just needed to stop Bumby."

Harry and Garfield once again looked at each other before shrugging. "Alright, we'll take care of you." Garfield said, grinning.

Alice's eyes widened and her jaw dropped open slightly. "W-what?" She asked, shocked that these two boys were offering their help so easily.

"We can't exactly turn away from someone in need." Harry said with a smile of his own. "We'll explore your options and help you support yourself in the meantime. We have plenty of money." He crossed his arms, beginning to think. "Besides, it would be best to not only see what we can do about the orphanage and the kids still there, but also the kids Bumby previously…" His face twisted in distaste. "…sold."

"Definitely." Garfield said with a nod, a dark look in his eyes.

"I…" Alice began, unsure of what to say. "Who… who are you two? Where did you come from?" She ended up blurting out, too confused for anything else.

Garfield's face turned back into a grin. "We're heroes from the future."

Harry took a sip of his tea before chiming in. "Well, BB's a hero. And we're from another reality entirely, not just the future."

Garfield turned to Harry, looking surprised while Alice blinked in disbelief. "You mean we aren't in our own world?"

Harry shook his head. "I checked. Hogwarts isn't where it should be. All that's there is an untouched Scottish forest and lake. The magical society I come from doesn't exist here."

Garfield groaned. "Bummer. That makes things harder."

"What in God's name are you two talking about?" Alice finally said as she regained her faculties after the surprise.

Harry turned to Alice. "We come from the time of late in the year of two thousand and seventeen. That would be about one hundred and forty two years from now." He took another sip of tea, seeming amused by her shock. "However, certain landmarks that were in existence during this time aren't there, leading us to conclude that we are in a separate universe entirely: a world that is close to our own, but with some differences, such as people and events being different or not happening in the first place."

"I... see…" Alice said as she struggled with the idea. It was certainly strange, but honestly, was it truly the oddest thing she'd heard of within the last hour alone, she asked herself? "And you are heroes in your own world? This is an actual profession, then?"

Garfield shrugged. "Kinda sorta. Usually people with abilities like mine and Harry's either use them for crime or to stop bad guys. For most heroes it's something they do on the side while disguised without any sort of payment, though some teams do get funding from either governments or private companies. My team, the Teen Titans, is financed by a larger group called the Justice League, so we're full time heroes."

"And there are many people with abilities like yours?" She asked, fascinated in spite of herself as she continued to struggle with her disbelief.

Harry nodded with a smile. "Thousands of people around the world who get powers and abilities in a variety of ways, like Beast Boy. Then there's also a segment of the population that is born with the ability to use magic. We have our own schools and society, and generally keep to ourselves. I've given up on being a conformist, though, so I don't hide like they do."

"I am having… a bit of trouble with this…" Alice admitted slowly.

Harry and Garfield chuckled. "Don't blame ya." The green boy said as Harry got up and moved to a leather satchel she hadn't noticed in a corner of the room. Out of it he drew what seemed to be a hard piece of odd material she didn't recognize. He brought it back to the table and opened it, showing it to be to pieces connected together, the bottom one covered in buttons with letters and symbols on them, like one of the new typewriters that had just been introduced. Harry grinned and pressed one of the buttons, causing the top part to light up.

Alice leaned back, blinking in surprise even as she heard Cheshire make an intrigued noise. "What is this?" She asked as a photograph appeared. It was a photograph unlike any she'd seen before, in full, realistic color, crisp and perfect.

The photo was of Harry and Garfield along with four other young men and women. The most eye catching was a large, dark skinned boy who looked like he was half made of metal. Even part of his face seemed to have been replaced. Her eyes went from him to a girl with orange skin and hair wearing a positively scandalous outfit that was hovering above the others, smiling widely. Underneath her was another boy, this one in an odd outfit of green, red and yellow with a small mask over his eyes. The last figure was another girl. This one had odd, greyish skin, with purple hair and a black diamond on her forehead. The rest of her body was hidden by an indigo cloak.

"This, Alice, is a computer." Harry said as he did something with his fingertip on a small square under the buttons, making an arrow move across the image. "It's a machine that's use for various things, from entertainment to business to schoolwork. They're essentially indispensable where we're from." The image changed to a great many small photos. He moved the arrow to one of them and suddenly it became large as well. It showed a city filled with truly massive buildings of steel and glass, and Alice couldn't help but feel awed. "I figured showing you some pictures of our home will help you come to terms with things."

So they proceeded to show her more photographs of people and places. There were many people in odd, colorful outfits (though to her, even the people in what she presumed were everyday clothes looked strange), and many amazing places. One, however, took her breath away. "What is that?" She asked as she saw the circle of blue with white, green and brown, even though she had a feeling she knew.

Harry smiled softly. "That's what the Earth looks like from space." She briefly turned to stare at him in shock, and he grinned. "Yes Alice. Not only does man learn how to fly, but we manage to reach beyond our own world, reaching even Mars."

Alice turned back to the image, drinking it in, a small smile on her face.

Some time later the demonstration finally ended when Alice let out a small yawn. "Excuse me."

Garfield shook his head. "It's fine, Alice. From what you've told us you've had a very long day. Got any place to go to rest?"

Alice's face fell slightly and she shook her head. She had no place to go, at the moment. All her bridges were burned. The only option was her Nan, and much as she loved her, she wasn't willing to go through with what that would entail.

Garfield glanced at Harry, who nodded as he set aside his computer. "Alright, you can take the bed here to get some sleep."

Alice looked at them in surprise. "Truly? Just like that?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure. It's not like I can't make another bed to sleep in, and you seem like you could use it. We can go over your options going forward when you wake up. Beast Boy and I need to discuss what we're going to do anyway."

Alice was wary. Despite what they had shown her and how kindly they acted, she'd just met these boys, and her trust had been shattered many times. Still, she was so tired after the events of the last few days, and she truly did want to believe them.

Finally, after a minute or so of thought she slowly nodded. "Very well, I will accept your offer. Thank you."

The boys nodded and led her to the bedroom and gave her everything she needed. A short while later Alice lay in the comfortable bed, gazing at the ceiling, feeling herself slowly relax. She tensed up again when she heard noise come from the main room, but after a moment she realized it was music. Music unlike any she'd heard before, but music for certain. It wasn't bad, she decided, just different.

As her eyes finally slid closed and sleep took her, she heard one last bit of song that set her at ease.

 _Carry on my wayward son,_

 _There'll be peace when you are done,_

 _Lay your weary head to rest,_

 _Don't you cry no more_

* * *

 ** _Yay, done!_**

 ** _It's a mark of how much more comfortable I am with character interaction that this is slightly longer than usual but took me less actual writing time._**

 ** _So, not much happened here, honestly. This was mainly to introduce Alice to the guys, and to explain her circumstances to those that haven't played her games. Which, by the way, you really really should._**

 ** _Not much is actually going to happen action wise during our time in Alice's world. After all, the events of her games are over, and even if they weren't, they mostly took place in her mind. Harry and BB can't exactly help with that. It'll mostly be dealing with the fallout and preparing for the next world, including letting Alice experiment with her abilities._**

 ** _In other things, to the ones who have expressed that they don't want me involving myself in Worm: sorry, but this fic, while I enjoy having you all read and review on, is ultimately about what I enjoy and where I want to lead the characters. If you don't like a particular world, not just Worm, then I apologize, but I'm going to do what I want. Much as I'd dislike losing readers, I'm not forcing you to read._**

 ** _Besides, Worm gives me interesting possibilities. Imagine the team, after having been to the Worm-verse and maybe even dealing with Scion, arrive in the My Hero Academia world, which, superficially at least, has the exact same fucking premise. Can anybody say paranoia?_**

 ** _To those who noted that Harry seems a bit too carefree/quippy so soon after Silent Hill, I'm actually trying to develop that into a plot point. Not sure how well it's going though, but we'll see._**

 ** _In mostly unrelated news, since this chapter is mostly American McGee's Alice related, I thought I'd share something that I found during my research for it for those interested._**

 ** _Apparently American is trying to drum up interest for a new Alice game. Sadly it won't be Otherlands, which pisses me off because I love the idea. Instead it's a prequel set during Alice's time in the asylum. He's planning to crowdfund so he can develop it independently from EA, just licensing the IP from them (because fuck EA, it's because of them we didn't get Otherlands). The plan so far is to begin the campaign in October of this year, the time before being used to prepare assets for presentation. So I call on all Alice fans to keep an eye out for it, so we can see about getting it funded. Cause I really, really want more._**

 ** _I think that's it for the moment. I'm happy with the interest this story is getting. We hit 300 reviews. That gave me warm and fuzzies. So let's keep going. Review, and look forward to what else I bring you._**

 ** _Till next time._**


	16. Mental Exercises

Alice slowly returned to consciousness, scrunching her eyes shut against the glare of the sun before turning away. She did not want to wake up, she was far too comfortable. More comfortable than she'd been in a long time.

For a minute the thought percolated into her mind as she tried to go back asleep, and she wondered why she was so comfortable. Her eyes snapped open as that brought beck the memories of the previous day. She sat up in bed, eyes darting around before she calmed.

She was in the room Harry and Garfield had given her the night before, and from what she could tell nothing untoward had occurred during the night. Everything was as she'd left it.

She swung her legs out of bed and looked down at the blue nightgown that covered her body. She ran a hand along it, feeling the incredibly soft and delicate texture that could only be the finest of silk. She'd never worn something as luxurious as it, even when her family had still lived.

Harry had surprised her by actually creating it out of thin air the night before for her, as she'd had nothing but the clothes she had on. He'd warned her, however, that it would only last a day at most before fading back into nothingness. With that in mind she went to the clothes she'd set on a chair the night before after she'd changed. She wrinkled her nose as she realized her blue dress had shifted back into the rags she had on before. Apparently the changes her mind made didn't last without conscious input. Disappointing, but unsurprising. She quickly put them back on and hesitated, wondering whether she should shift them back to her Wonderland dress or not. In the end she decided not to bother till she actually had to go out.

She slowly opened the door back into the main room of the apartment, looking around for the residents. Harry was nowhere to be seen, and she assumed by the late hour she saw on the clock that he was out running an errand. Garfield, however, she spotted quickly. It was rather difficult to miss the enormous green sheepdog curled up on the rug in a corner of the room, snoring contentedly.

She smiled slightly at the sight before her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had not eaten in almost an entire day, the events of the previous day proving too distracting. She glanced towards the kitchen, wondering if they'd mind her taking something from the cupboards, and saw a couple of bags with small notes bearing her and Garfield's names on them. Heading over and opening hers she found a selection of sweet breads and a bottle of cool milk. Smiling she sat at the table and began to eat.

As she ate she thought about everything she'd witnessed since Bumby's death. She had grown used to strangeness. One did not wander Wonderland as she had without becoming at least slightly inured to it. Even so, what she'd witnessed from the boys was still astounding.

She knew it might seem odd, but considering her own experiences and recently acquired abilities, she found the magic and shapeshifting of the two to be easier to swallow than their computer. Magic was not such a foreign concept as the technology she saw, both in the computer itself and what they'd shown her through it. To think that humanity would advance so far in the time between eighteen seventy five and two thousand and seventeen was astounding. It made her wonder at what sort of changes she might see in her own lifetime.

A noise interrupted her thoughts, and she saw Garfield stretch and get up, green tail wagging when he saw her. He moved towards her, sniffing the air, and his eyes locked on the half eaten bun she held in her hand. He let out a rather loud woof.

"Yours is in the kitchen." Alice said, trying to put on a disapproving look but smiling in spite of herself. "However, I would appreciate being spoken to in a civilized manner in the future, Garfield."

The green dog let out a small whine at the rebuke before trotting over to get his meal, his form shifting between beast and man midstep. "Sorry Alice." He said before letting out a yawn as he picked up his own food. "By the way, did you sleep alright?"

"Yes, I slept very well, thank you." She said, taking another bite of her bun.

Garfield nodded in satisfaction as he pulled a small bun out of his bag as he turned back to her. "Good. You looked like you… needed… it…" He stopped, staring at her.

Alice blinked and leaned back from his rather intense stare. "What? What is it?"

"You, uh, look different. No offense, but you look a bit sickly. You sure you're alright?" His gaze turned to her dress. "And I don't remember you wearing that yesterday."

It took Alice a moment to realize what Garfield meant before she sighed softly. She hadn't bothered looking at herself in the mirror before she left the bedroom, but she guessed that just as her clothing had shifted back to its normal, non-Wonderland state, so had the rest of her. She reached back and felt short, choppy and tangled hair instead of the long, silky strands from before, confirming her theory.

She turned back to Garfield before smiling softly. "It's alright, Garfield. This is what I really look like, not the… illusion from before. That was a change I made with my power."

"Oh…" Garfield said slowly before taking a seat at the table. "Alright. In that case we'll need to work on getting you healthy. Because you definitely aren't right now, and hiding it like you were isn't good for you."

Her smile widened a bit. "Thank you, Garfield. I appreciate your concern." He nodded and began to eat. They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying their meals, before she spoke again. "May I ask where Harry is?"

The green boy swallowed his latest mouthful. "We spent the night talking about our next move with the orphanage and the kids. He went out to look into the situation before Bumby's death complicates things. Once he has a better idea of the situation we'll make a plan. He's also going to see if he can find records of Bumby's sales, like a client list or name of the intermediary he sold them through. That'll give us a lead on recovering them." He sighed. "From what you said, we won't be able to recover their minds. Neither me or Harry have that sort of ability. But at the very least we can get them away from their captors."

Alice nodded slowly in understanding before she latched onto something he'd said. "I take it you don't approve of my killing Bumby?" She tried to keep her tone neutral, though she was unsure that she succeeded.

Garfield leaned back, crossing his arms and eying her. "It's a bit complicated. See, most heroes, and most hero teams, have a no kill policy. Obviously there are exceptions for extreme circumstances, but generally we avoid taking lives. Obviously that's made some people dislike us, since that means we're keeping some real monsters alive to possibly cause more problems, but it's policy."

Alice remained silent, as she could tell he had more to say. "On the other hand, while I may now be a member of the Teen Titans, I was originally part of a team called Doom Patrol, and we used to be a bit more hardcore. We were a lot quicker to use lethal force. Most of my team doesn't know it, but I have a bit of a body count. I'm sure Robin, the Teen Titan's leader, knows anyway, but he's never mentioned it."

"Now that doesn't mean I like to kill or that I'm glad you had to, but I'm more understanding about it. From what you said, it was the only way you had to stop an evil man, since you couldn't imprison him or anything like that. Between an unrepentant monster and a bunch of innocent kids, I'll choose the kids every time." He finished resolutely.

Alice smiled at him gratefully. "Thank you Garfield. I appreciate you telling me that." He smiled back, and the two went back to eating.

After they finished their meal Alice wondered what she should do next. Garfield, apparently wondering the same thing, smiled and got the computer. "I feel like watching a show. Wanna join me?"

"A show? You mean like a play?"

Garfield grinned. "Something like that." He set the computer on the table and turned it on. Alice watched curiously as he proceeded to search for something. The screen changed several times before He found whatever he was looking for, his grin widening, and started whatever he'd chosen.

She only had time to see that whatever it was it was called 'Avatar: The Last Airbender', before she was swept up in what began, awed and, soon, enraptured.

* * *

By the time Harry arrived, stretching and grumbling to himself, Alice had already watched several of what Garfield called episodes. He had gotten them a bowl of nuts and some tea, grumbling the entire time about needing popcorn. She decided to ignore the oddity in favor of continuing to watch the adventures of Aang and his companions.

She did, however, look up once Garfield paused the show when the other boy arrived. "Hello Harry. Thank you for breakfast."

Harry cracked a smile as he hung up his coat. "My pleasure, Alice. Hope you enjoyed it." He glanced at the computer before chuckling. "Avater, I see. Good choice for her first show, BB."

Garfield grinned. "Seemed appropriate." His smile dropped. "So, how did it go?"

Harry sighed and sat down on a nearby seat. "I managed to buy some time to set up a replacement for Bumby of our choice, as well as come up with alternate funding before Houndsditch is dissolved and the kids end up in other orphanages. Honestly, I'm tempted to just let the current kids be moved to other orphanages we've vetted. They'd be taken care of and we could focus on those already sold off. As it is, we need to find a replacement within the next few days. Revenue is simpler. I'll just find a company I know will last and invest in it with the understanding that all profits go to the orphanage. I can write it off as being an eccentric orphan with a soft spot for my old home."

Garfield leaned back and nodded. "Alright, that makes sense. Any companies you were thinking of?"

"A few. I'll narrow the choices down, but there are some that, at least on our world, became big and began around this time." Harry said. "I also went through Bumby's office. Bastard was telling the truth, he burned all the evidence."

Alice felt her heart drop at the news. "So there's nothing we can do for the children that have already been sold?"

Harry looked up, seeing Alice's and Garfield's unhappy looks, before chuckling rather maliciously, making Alice feel pricklings of unease. "Oh, I never said that. Bastard never expected me to show up, after all." He reached into the small pouch at his side before pulling out a large sheaf of papers. "It took some inventive casting and a fair bit of power, but I managed to restore the papers." He began flipping through them with an evil grin. "Names of the sold children, prices they were sold for, locations they were sold at and, most importantly, people they were sold to." He looked back at them, an evil glint in his eye. "Some of these are very high profile. Captains of industry and members of the aristocracy."

Alice smiled. "I'm glad you managed to get what we needed." Then her smile disappeared. "However, if the people you are referring to are so high profile, then it's likely the authorities won't be much help. They have the money to make such charges go away."

Garfield growled but nodded. "This time period is pretty well known for being the definition of corruption, dude. Y'know that she's right."

Harry's dark grin didn't go away. Indeed, it seemed to widen to the point Alice wondered if he was related to Cheshire. "Oh, I know. In the same vein, well, wouldn't it be a _tragedy_ if the newspapers got a hold of these papers? I mean, some even specify special requests the more high-end clients made for things the kids would be pre-programmed to do. Not for the faint of heart."

Garfield stared at Harry, appearing to be in awe. "Dude, that's vicious…"

Alice had begun to smile. "Agreed. I approve."

Harry chuckled. "I'll see about getting it out there in a way that can't be suppressed. I doubt the authorities will be able to avoid at the very least removing the children after that." He set the papers down on the table and stretched. "Well, that's enough of that for now. We need to go shopping."

Alice tilted her head. "Shopping? What for?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Why, clothes and necessities for you, of course. I know you can change your dress to your blue one, but that's no reason to not get you out of those rags."

Alice's eyes widened. "Oh, no. That… that's not necessary." She said, caught off guard.

"Yeah it is." Garfield said with a snort. "I mean, I wouldn't give those clothes to the homeless, they're that bad. You need something better. Especially if you're going to hang with us."

Alice stared at Garfield, appalled. "Why would we hang? We haven't done anything wrong!" Then she actually thought about it. "Well, I suppose I did kill somebody…"

As Garfield gaped at her Harry laughed. "He didn't mean we'd literally hang till dead, Alice. 'Hanging out' is a colloquialism for spending time together."

"Oh…" Alice said softly. "I see…"

Garfield shook his head. "Ok, generational misunderstandings aside, we still need to get you some proper clothes. You can't wear your blue dress all the time."

Alice frowned but assented that they were correct. She stood up and, with a thought, she had changed into her Wonderland persona, this time exerting a bit of extra will in order to keep it bloodless. "Very well, I am ready to go."

Harry got up, stretching once again. "Great. I was thinking we could hit Harrods. That should serve our purposes nicely."

Alice was about to protest, Harrods being far too expensive, but was interrupted by Garfield holding up his hand. "Just a sec, dude." He turned to Alice. "First I was thinking we should see what Alice's abilities are. Just in case there's trouble."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What trouble are you expecting on a trip to a department store, exactly?" Harry asked, though he turned to Alice, seeming curious anyway.

Garfield shrugged. "Possessed mannequins, cursed clothing, a mad axe murderer… The usual."

Harry sighed and shook his head, muttering about 'superhero paranoia' before speaking to Alice. "Well, despite his reasoning, we might as well. Can you summon something for us?"

Alice nodded, and immediately it was in her hand. "This is my Vorpal Blade." She said simply giving it a couple of swings, testing its weight now that it was in the real world. Gratifyingly she found no difference from what she was used to.

Garfield nodded. "Yeah, saw it yesterday. Scared the crap out of me."

Alice blushed lightly. "I apologize, Garfield. I was… high strung."

The green boy waved her apology away. "No problem, Alice. I understand."

Harry, she noticed, had an odd look on his face. "What is it?"

He looked up. "Oh, nothing. Just that the name of the blade tickled my memory. Don't know what. Don't worry about it. How about something else now?"

Alice nodded and thought for a moment before her knife disappeared and her large, heavy Hobby Horse was in her hands, the spike at the bottom of the staff planted in the floor. It was large and appeared to be made of something like white marble. It had a wild, dangerous looking mane, burning gold eyes, and a horn like a unicorn's protruding from its forehead, gold as well. It looked quite dangerous, if she said so herself.

"Whoa!" Garfield cried, staring. "That thing looks freaking lethal!"

"Indeed." Harry said, leaning forward to analyze the chain reins. "I imagine this is a blunt weapon for heavy damage?"

Alice nodded. "Yes. It takes some getting used to, but it is highly effective."

Garfield nodded. "I bet. Anything else you want to try bringing out?"

Alice let the Hobby Horse disappear, tilting her head in thought. What could she try to bring out? Suddenly a random thought crossed her mind and began gnawing on her. Perhaps…?

 _"Oh yes, Alice. Now you are thinking in an interesting direction. I look forward to this."_

She began to concentrate. It took a bit more effort, but soon enough she'd done what she'd intended.

Beside her sat a large cat. Sitting as it did it reached her chest, it's large, pointy ears adding to that considerably more. It was skeletally thin, its ribs easily visible and with a long neck. Its fur was ash grey, with black tribal designs all around its body. Its tail appeared mostly furless but for a pointed tuft at the tip. It had glowing yellow eyes that leered at everybody in undisguised amusement, and wore an enormous grin that exposed strangely human teeth speckled with blood.

"A pleasure to meet Alice's heroes in the flesh… so to speak." Cheshire Cat said in a deep, rumbling voice, ever-present grin not shifting one jot.

The boys' reactions surprised Alice. Garfield was gaping at Cheshire, pointing a trembling finger at him. Harry didn't look much better, staring in disbelief.

"That's the Cheshire Cat." Garfield said numbly.

"Yes BB, yes it is…" Harry murmured.

"Interesting." Cheshire said, eyes darting from one boy to the other as Alice tried to understand how they knew Cheshire's name when she didn't remember mentioning him. "Somehow, the two of you recognize me. Some oddity of being from a different world, I presume?"

Garfield appeared to ignore him. "You're _that_ Alice?"

Alice blinked as his finger shifted to point at her. "Ah, what Alice?"

"Alice!" He practically shouted, making her lean back from his vehemence. "From the story!"

"Beast Boy, calm the hell down!" Harry barked. "She has no clue what you're talking about."

Garfield settled down, blushing slightly. "Sorry…"

Cheshire spoke now, tail swishing behind him. "I am assuming that from your reactions that we are some sort of story told in your world?"

Harry nodded slowly. "There's a children's book, or two books, rather, about a young girl and her adventures through Wonderland, meeting mad creatures and absurd situations. It's… quite well known…"

Alice felt her chest constrict, eyes wide as she stared at him. "And that girl… is me?"

"It seems so…" Harry said. "You followed a white rabbit down a rabbit hole and ended up in Wonderland, where there were foods that demanded you eat them before shifting your size, and other absurd things?"

Alice swallowed and nodded slowly.

"It seems that there is more to different worlds than we first assumed. Do you have any insights?" Cheshire asked, eyes locked on Garfield.

Harry shook his head, but Garfield nodded. "I remember an old mission file of the Justice League's Robin showed the Titans. Apparently at one point several of the original members wound up in a world where the characters of old comic books Green Lantern used to collect were actually real, with events that actually happened. I… guess it's something similar?"

Harry and Alice stared at Garfield. "I'd never heard of something like that." Harry said.

Garfield shrugged. "Who'd believe it if they didn't see it for themselves? Hell, for all we know our world is the same, a comic book or TV show in some other world we've never been to."

Harry sat back down with a thump. "…Geeze, that's… heavy."

Alice sat down as well, mind reeling at this new information. Somewhere, in an entirely different world, her life was a… a… children's storybook!

And yet, it was only of her early life, before the fire, from what the boys had said. About her first adventures in Wonderland. Which made sense, as her latter life was not something for children.

It was… daunting, and she had no idea what to think.

"While undoubtedly interesting, this changes nothing, Alice." Cheshire said.

Alice looked up, glaring at his eternally grinning face. "Doesn't it? I am a children's story! Something for people to read and laugh at the sheer absurdity of! My Wonderland…" She shivered and hugged herself, feeling oddly violated.

"Are you any less real now, Alice?" Cheshire said, and despite his grin, his tone was deadly serious. "Is your pain somehow imaginary? Are your struggles somehow fantasy? Have your victories been simple games? Is your strength, that which has saved you from horror after horror, somehow been diminished by this new insight?" He stepped closer to her. "You are Alice Liddel. Are you going to let this irrelevant little revelation _break you_?"

Alice stared as Cheshire for a long minute before her gaze firmed and her jaw hardened. "No. I _refuse_ to break any further." Cheshire's grin impossibly seemed to widen.

She started in surprise when a hand settled on her shoulder. She turned to find Harry giving her a warm look. "Well said, Alice. And don't worry, you have me and Beast Boy at your back." Garfield grinned almost as widely as Cheshire, nodding.

Alice smiled softly at the two boys, and for the first time felt truly safe around them.

"Thank you."

* * *

Harry worked at his computer by the window with Beast Boy laying around in the form of an iguana nearby, the solar powered charger set up to catch the sun as he did so. He'd have to thank Batman for including it. Being prepared for anything really was the man's entire way of life, it seemed.

He'd had the idea to document his time in this different world to share with the League and Titans once they got back from Beast Boy's mentioning of the file the League had about the 'fictional' world. It'd seemed like a good idea if for no other reason than as evidence when they would inevitably be scoffed at by the less imaginative.

It had been a month since the two boys had arrived in that dirty alley in the middle of nineteenth century London. A month since they'd met Alice, who had quickly become a good friend.

They'd gotten the girl a room in the same building they were staying in, and she spent most of her time in their flat, enjoying stories of their adventures or watching things on the computer. They'd also taken to teaching her a bit of self-defense after the first time she walked in on the two boys sparring to keep their hand to hand skills up to par. Neither was exactly a great fighter, their talents lying elsewhere, but Robin made sure all the Titans knew at least the basics, just in case, and they passed that knowledge on to Alice.

They'd set up Alice's old nanny, Nan Sharpe, and some of her girls to run the orphanage on Alice's recommendation. It was a bit difficult, as they were all prostitutes, but after Harry made sure they all truly wanted out of the life they'd been forced to lead and would run the place properly, some confounding magic eased the process. The financial security of the place was also assured, Harry having set up three different investments into companies he was reasonably sure would do well, thus making sure that one failing wouldn't cripple the orphanage.

The work against the child traffickers took longer, but was much more satisfying. London had erupted in an uproar after the news hit. Even in such a cynical time, what had been done to those children was monstrous. That was helped by the fact that the masses loved to tear down powerful people, something Harry was well acquainted with. The authorities were forced to investigate, with some help from some compulsion magic, and more than one high profile man or woman was forced to, at the least, pay massive fines, and give up the children.

That the panicking criminals gave up other, previously not named compatriots, just made things all the sweeter.

Beast Boy went out every night on patrol, bored, looking for bad guys to beat up and leave gift wrapped for the police. He'd mentioned he'd been hoping to catch Jack the Ripper. Seeing as Alice had no clue who he was talking about, Harry told the other boy that he was pretty sure Jack was a bit later than the current year. Beast Boy still held out hope, though.

When Harry wasn't busy with other pursuits he worked on his portals, trying to create one similar to the one that brought them to this world. It was difficult, as he couldn't experiment by going through one till he got it right. He had to keep making them, trying to remember how the energy of the portal had felt and recreate it. It was delicate work, but he believed he was making progress and should be ready to try and use one within a couple of weeks at most.

He looked up from his typing when the door opened and Alice walked in, looking much better with her hair naturally longer and her complexion healthier, helped by the nice green dress she wore. She had several books in her arms and an odd look on her face. He eyed her as she woodenly walked over to the bookshelf he'd set up and added the books to the collection already there.

"Alice? What's wrong?" He asked, shutting the laptop and setting it aside, waking Beast Boy, who looked around in confusion before shifting to human form, yawning lightly.

"I just had a rather… odd experience." Alice said slowly as she finished putting the books away.

The boys glanced at each other. "Uh, no offence, Alice, but I thought you'd be used to weird crap happening to you." BB said, leading to a slap upside the head from Harry.

Alice shook her head. "This is different. If it weren't for the abilities I knew about I'd believe it didn't happen." She said, moving to the kitchen and beginning to make some tea.

Harry got up and moved over to help. "What happened?"

Alice was silent as she added her tea leaves to the water before speaking. "I went to a new book shop that recently opened to see if they had any more books you might want."

Harry nodded in understanding. Taking advantage of the time period they were in, Harry had employed Alice to look through stores for first editions of books by certain authors. Not only would they be worth a fortune in Harry's own time due to their rarity and condition, Hermione would murder just at the chance of touching them.

"Well, when I got there I found that Mister Jules Verne was there to help promote newest novel, The Mysterious Island." She cracked a smile. "He did not seem overly pleased to be there. However, I gathered some of his books, such as Around the World in Eighty Days and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, as you told me they are some of his most enduring, to have him sign them." She gestured over to the books she'd put away.

Beast Boy let out a low "Duuuude…", and Harry fully shared the sentiment. First editions actually signed by Jules Verne would be worth their weight in gold.

"It was as I handed him the books that our hands touched briefly, and something strange happened. I suddenly found myself on the moon!" Alice said with a bit of excitement.

Both Harry and Beast Boy blinked. "Uh, what?" Harry said.

"Yes, I stood on the moon, and Mister Verne was standing there before me, gazing up at the stars. And suddenly, I had some idea of what he was thinking." She took a sip of her tea, gathering her thoughts. "He was wondering what was next, after writing about the deepest corners of the Earth. So I… tried to help." She shrugged lightly, eyes distant. "We traveled through different places, in a rocket ship, a balloon, and even the Nautilus. And I tried to help him with his struggles. In the end, I believe, he knew what was next, and was happy and eager to continue his work."

Harry and BB shared another mystified look before turning back to Alice when she resumed speaking. "Soon after I found myself back in that bookstore, books in hand, and Mister Verne was gazing at me oddly. Then he smiled, said thank you, and signed the books, letting me have them for free. After that… I left." She said, shrugging.

They were silent for a time, Alice enjoying her tea now that she'd told her friends her story, the boys thinking about what they'd been told.

"So…" Beast Boy began. "You ended up in the dude's mind and helped out with his issues?"

"It seems so." Alice said.

"Can you do it for anybody?" Harry asked, curious.

Alice paused. "I don't know." She said. "I suppose that would take a bit of experimentation."

BB got up and moved over to Alice before holding out his hand. "Let's try it."

Alice eyed him. "Are you certain?"

BB nodded. "Definitely. Besides, I'm a better choice than Harry."

Harry grimaced and nodded. He didn't want to imagine what she'd find in his mind. At Alice's curious look he was reminded that she didn't know his full story. He was in no hurry to change that.

"Very well." Alice said, taking his hand. Harry watched curiously as they stood there for ten seconds.

"Uh, was something supposed to happen?" Beast Boy asked.

Alice shook her head. "I don't feel anything like I did with Mister Verne." She said.

Harry almost rolled his eyes as he realized they hadn't noticed the obvious. "Maybe it needs skin contact?" He looked pointedly at BB's gloved hand.

The other boy chuckled sheepishly. "Good thinking, man." He took his glove off and held his hand back out to Alice, who was smiling slightly as well. She took it, and after a couple of seconds Harry saw the moment it worked, their eyes glazing slightly, unseeing. It lasted only a couple of seconds before they pulled away, the effect dissipating. "Whoa…" BB said.

"Indeed." Alice agreed. "It appears that now that I know I can do it activating the ability takes a moment of reaching out and connecting to the subject before I am in." She then looked at Beast Boy. "Your mind was rather bizarre, I'll admit. I could make more sense of Mister Verne's."

BB scratched the back of his head, blushing. "Sorry…" He muttered.

"Well, this is obviously a fascinating new ability, Alice. But I suggest you keep it under wraps and use it sparingly." Harry said, to which she nodded.

"Of course. I do not intend to snoop around in peoples' heads unless it becomes necessary." Alice said firmly.

Harry smiled at her. "I know. I trust you."

Alice smiled back.

* * *

A little over a week later the three friends were having dinner. Alice was enjoying Harry's cooking as she always did. She much preferred his food to even most restaurants she'd been to. She was distracted from the delicious pasta dish by Harry clearing his throat and setting his utensils down. She'd noted he'd looked slightly subdued all evening, and now it looked like she was going to find out why.

"I… have some news." He began. He looked at them before addressing Garfield. "I think I've managed to replicate the portal that brought us here. We should be able to use it to get home within a day or two."

As Garfield smiled and congratulated his friend Alice felt her appetite suddenly disappear, the pasta in her mouth tasting like ashes at the realization of what this meant.

They were leaving.

The two boys who had become the most important people in her life in less than a month and a half were leaving her, most likely forever. She'd be alone again.

She looked down, trying to push away the tears she could feel gathering in her eyes in spite of everything she tried. She refused to cry. She was stronger than that.

"Alice?" Harry's voice said hesitantly. She looked up to find Harry looking at her sadly.

She did her best to smile at them, to act happy. "I'm glad." She said softly.

Harry reached over and took her hand, smiling sadly. "No you're not. I'm sorry, Alice."

Alice clenched her jaw and clutched his hand tightly. She desperately didn't want to be alone again. She didn't think she could bare it.

But she couldn't keep them there. It wouldn't be fair to them. They had their own lives, their own responsibilities, back at their home. Why would they want to live in a backwards age like hers when they could go back to the wonders of their own time? She couldn't keep them in a place even she didn't want to be.

The idea that thought brought suddenly blazed brightly, and she looked up at Harry. "Take me with you."

Both boys looked taken aback. They glanced at each other before Garfield opened his mouth. "Alice-"

"There's nothing holding me here." She said, interrupting him. "The only person I have left I care for is Nan Sharpe, and she can live without me. She has the orphanage to care for now. And I _hate_ this place." She spat. "This society is sick, the people greedy and self-centered. So few people even think about others. I can't stand them. I want to see your home. A world full of opportunities."

"Alice, we've showed you our world, but it isn't a utopia. It has problems. Major ones." Harry said emphatically.

"I know." She admitted. "I'm not so naïve as to believe that there is such a thing as a perfect world. If there was, they wouldn't need heroes like you. But I want to see it. And maybe, with my abilities, I can do some good."

The room was silent for a time, each person lost in their thoughts, and abruptly Alice began to wonder since when she'd begun to cling so tightly to two boys that were younger than her.

She'd prided herself in being independent. In being able to endure her trials on her own, with only minimal support from her Nan. It wasn't an easy life, but she'd been able to make do, and after Bumby's death she was fully prepared to survive.

Perhaps that was the issue, she thought. She'd been so long without anybody to truly rely on, clawing and scraping for anything, especially her sanity, and suddenly these two young men had come into her life and helped her without asking for anything in return, seeing only someone who needed help. They'd taken her in, helped her learn her abilities, and shown her wonders she could not have dreamed of. They'd become true friends.

She could survive on her own, yes, but that would be a joyless existence. And she was tired of having to sacrifice her happiness to make do. Just this once, she wanted at least an opportunity for some happiness.

"Are you certain, Alice?" Harry said, voice low and serious. "There is likely no way to take this back. You come with us, and that will be it. Hell, there are no guarantees that the portal will take us to where we intend to go. We could wind up in an even worse world, full of monsters and horrors we couldn't dream of. It is, essentially, a gamble, one Beast Boy and I are ready to take. You don't have to. We'll be more than happy to help you get set up here for the long term."

Alice took a deep breath. Before nodding, green meeting green as she gazed into Harry's eyes. "I am willing to take a chance at something better." She said confidently.

The boys glanced at each other one last time before nodding and turning to her with smiles. "Welcome to the team, Alice." Garfield said.

Alice felt herself smile radiantly. Finally, an opportunity at a better life.

A life with friends.

* * *

With Alice's inclusion to the plan it took another week to get everything settled on her end, not that the boys minded.

Alice and Harry went to her greedy, backstabbing solicitor, Wilton J. Radcliffe, to liquidate her inheritance into jewels and precious metals that would be of use in other lands, much to his intense dismay. Alice gave the excuse that she had tired of England and was moving someplace better, like Canada or Australia. With Harry standing behind her, radiating an aura of pure menace and wearing an evil grin, the cowardly Radcliffe hurried to comply. As a final insult Alice took the stuffed rabbit he had been keeping from her.

She'd also said goodbye to her Nan. It was a tearful farewell, but the older woman, who had always looked out for what was best for Alice, gave the girl her blessing and best wishes.

Soon the three stood in the alley the boys had originally appeared in. They had all their things packed up in Harry's expanded bag, which was enchanted up the wazoo with protective spells in case of problems on the other side of the portal.

Beast Boy took a deep breath. They were as ready as they were going to be.

Harry held out a hand and a black portal appeared, streaks of color flowing through the inky darkness. BB felt a shudder of apprehension. He knew Harry had done his best, but there was always a chance that this could go absolutely, horribly wrong.

"Well… here goes nothing." The green boy said as he stepped forward, Alice at his side. Harry would go last, as he had to keep the portal open.

He took another deep breath before finally stepping forward, going into the darkness.

He prayed that nothing would go wrong this time.

* * *

"Welp, something definitely went wrong." Beast Boy said less than twenty four hours later as he set a newspaper on the table of the flat they'd rented. "I mean, we're closer. Definitely the right time period, if slightly off. Still in London. But no Titans, no Justice League, no metas or aliens at all. I'd say this is a bust."

Harry sighed from where he was sitting, reaching over to grab the paper. "I know, BB. Hogwarts isn't there either. I'll need to figure something out before we try another jump."

Beast Boy grunted and grabbed a soda. If there was one thing he was happy about being in the modern era for, no more tea at all times of day. He finally had options.

Alice watched the two while sipping her own drink, obviously trying to get used to the new taste. And the bubbles. "Perhaps you need something more? Could you make or find a magical artifact to help with it?"

Harry stopped reading the paper for a moment and tilted his head in thought. "I couldn't make one. I'd need more knowledge than I have. Finding an object created around dimensional manipulation would, oddly enough, be more likely." He went to back to his paper.

Beast Boy felt the need to point out the flaw in that plan. "With no magical society, we'd have to look for old artifacts, and I doubt a museum will helpfully point out that one of their items was used to open doors to other worlds. Finding something will take a lot more research than just what we can get through the internet on our own."

Slowly, Harry began to grin, eyes glinting. "I think we can get some help with that." He said, setting the paper down on the table to show an article with a picture of a beautiful young woman with brown hair and eyes smiling politely with some old man, an old looking mask in a case behind her.

BB's eyes widened when he realized what he was looking at. "Holy crap. She's here? Hell yeah she'd be able to help us. Think we could get her to help, though?"

Harry nodded, still grinning. "Leave it to me."

Alice grabbed the paper, pulling it over to look at it. "What are you two talking about?" She read the headline of the article.

'LADY LARA CROFT DONATES ANCIENT CEREMONIAL MASK TO BRITISH MUSEUM'

* * *

 ** _Finally done! Mwahaha!_**

 ** _Okay, this is going to be a long AN, but I have a lot of things to discuss. Bear with me._**

 ** _As stated before, we didn't spend much time in Alice's world. There wasn't really much to do. So I decided to get through it all in one chapter. Now we can have some fun._**

 ** _Firstly, on to chapter specifics:_**

 ** _I added a bit of Beast Boy's comic history to the character to help with making him useful in this story, showing that he's more willing to kill if necessary than the other Titans are. After all, in worlds like Mass Effect or Halo, going non-lethal is rarely an option. He's going to need to get used to killing._**

 ** _Alice's ability to go into peoples' heads is canon. It was the entire premise of the proposed third game, Alice: Otherlands. She was planned to go into the minds of people like Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Darwin, Ulysses S. Grant, Bram Stoker, and many others. It would have been amazing, but unfortunately EA was EA, so all we got was a couple of animated shorts exploring the minds of Jules Verne and Richard Wagner. You can find them on American McGee's Youtube channel. Obviously I intend to develop this ability further. She's going to be the team shrink._**

 ** _Now issues that reviews brought up:_**

 ** _Pairing Harry and Alice: I actually wouldn't mind doing so, I'm just not sure it would be viable in the context of the story. Alice has been hurt and betrayed by men in power, and the likelihood of her ever submitting to a man again is miniscule. The fact that, due to the changes to Harry's psyche due to his powers, that's exactly what he'd expect if they were in a relationship makes them incompatible, and Harry knows it. Now, if anybody can give me a good reason and explanation as to a way to make it work, I'll consider it. As it is though, I'm considering making Alice a bisexual that, after her experiences, rejects the idea of a relationship with a man out of hand, making her a de facto lesbian._**

 ** _Harry and BB's pop culture knowledge: Certain things are known to them, as I'm sure I've shown previously._** **_I've mentioned Game of Thrones, Warhammer, Star Wars, Jurassic Park, LotR and RWBY. I'm considering the cutoff point for likelyhood of pop culture being the same as ours as around the 2000-2005 era. Around that time superheroes, at least in this version of DC, began to gain prominence, with the appearance of Supes and Bats. Not to mention the villains. And that'll definitely have an impact on pop culture. So most (not all) of what we're familiar with from before that time will be there. Newer things such as Mass Effect or Fate won't be familiar, though that's not a hard rule (as seen with RWBY and Avatar). Of course, you also have to take into account the fact that BB and Harry will be very interested in the pop culture of the places they visit, so their knowledge will expand._**

 ** _Unrelated, I actually have only seen the first season of Avatar. Should probably get on that._**

 ** _General Things:_**

 ** _Corrected an error in the previous chapter where the time difference was off by about ten years. It now shows the correct span of time._**

 ** _Since some people have been asking where I'm sending Harry, I made a list of the universes I have planned to send him, tentative or otherwise, in the order they'll be visited, though I'm not telling you what they are. It's just that I was having trouble keeping them straight in my head. I will say that so far, including Alice, I have ideas for eighteen worlds to send him. As stated, this is tentative. I might remove or add some, as well as shuffle the order around. I actually came up with an idea for a new one as I typed this and added it to the list._**

 ** _Most of the worlds are meant to give Harry something, be it a new teammate, a new ability, or a new item. There are a couple, however, that I just threw in for the lulz._**

 ** _Harry will need all of this, however. The Harry in Silent Hill barely took out a Fallen through trickery. By the time we reach the final world, Harry and his crew will need to be able to take out gods straight up._**

 ** _It. Will. Be. Epic._**

 ** _On another note, still don't have anybody to discuss Worm with. I could really use somebody with knowledge of it. The wiki is surprisingly unhelpful. Please PM if you're willing to help. Otherwise I'll just have to go with what I know from fanon and what I can get from the wiki, which I would rather not do._**

 ** _Alright, I think that's all. I'll be working on some of my other fics since I need to do research to continue this. Still haven't played the second game in a certain series mentioned at the end. Gotta do that before I can continue._**

 ** _On a completely unrelated note, anybody play The Secret World? *grin*_**

 ** _Bye. Please Review._**


	17. Sundown

Lara Croft sat in a pub in the middle of London, a pint of beer nearly untouched beside her as she went through an old book she'd found in the library of Croft Manor. She was trying to decide where she would go for her next expedition, the thought of it filling her with an almost giddy excitement.

After her adventure in Kitezh she had become determined to do three things: restore the Croft name to its former glory, continue to seek out the truth about the mysteries of the world, and fight the sinister order of zealots known as Trinity wherever she could find them.

The beginnings of the restoration of her family's reputation had begun by her donating some artifacts she had obtained to museums. It was almost too bad she didn't have anything from Yamatai. Such objects would have given her international acclaim, especially if she'd donated them to museums in Japan. However, carrying all the things she'd found during her time on that cursed island wouldn't have been practical when fighting an army of undead samurai, and even if she'd been able to, she wanted as little to do with that horrible place as possible.

The most she'd done was direct other groups in how to find it now that the storms had abated in exchange for credit going to her and her friends, living and deceased, for the find.

As for artifacts from Kitezh, she'd left anything she found with the Remnant tribe in the area. Not only did it not feel right to take them, but taking and donating them would have meant revealing their valley, and she'd brought enough trouble down on their heads.

She hadn't seen hide nor hair from Trinity, but she didn't let her guard down. They'd had the perfect opportunity to kill her with a sniper round in Siberia and hadn't taken the shot. That made her exceptionally wary for what might come next.

She finally looked up and smiled when one of her best friends, Jonah, sat down in front of her, his large frame taking up a considerable amount of the booth. "Hello Jonah. How are you?"

The Polynesian man smiled jovially back. "I'm doing alright, Little Bird. The new play I'm running is going well. I think I might be cut out for directing after all!"

Lara chuckled softly at her friend's obsession with the theatre, remembering the time he'd made her play the lead in Pride and Prejudice fondly and with a hint of embarrassment. As Jonah ordered his drink she set a bookmark in the pages of her book and carefully set it in the bag sitting on the seat beside her. "I'm glad to hear it. Let me know if you need any help. Just… not with acting, please."

They both shared a laugh and began to talk about other things, such as Reyes' latest email and how the repairs to Lara's home were going. It wasn't long before they were interrupted, however.

Lara blinked as someone suddenly set a chair at the end of the table and sat down without warning, setting a bottle of pop on the wood with a thump. "You know, you're surprisingly hard to get a hold of, Lady Croft. I went to your home, but there was nobody there but construction workers."

Lara, somewhat tense at the sudden interruption, shared a glance with Jonah before turning back to the new arrival, studying him. "And you are?"

The young man, who couldn't be older than seventeen, took a sip of his drink before setting it down, a smile on his face, emerald green eyes glittering. "Right, sorry, I'm being pretty rude, aren't I? You can call me Harry. I've come to help you out, and to see if you could help me with something too."

Lara raised an eyebrow. "Help me? Help me with what?"

Harry's smile dropped and his eyes became serious. "I'm here to help you save the life of your friend, Samantha Nishimura."

Immediately every muscle in Lara's body became tense as steel, and she had to hold herself back from launching herself at the boy. "What have you done to Sam?" She practically snarled out, eyes narrowed and promising murder upon him for a wrong answer. Jonah, she saw, was halfway out of his seat, ready to do grievous harm, his normally placid features hard.

'Harry' sighed. "Oh, relax, would you? I haven't done anything. I'm seriously here to help."

"What does Trinity want with me now?" She growled, going with the most obvious explanation.

The boy reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, looking irritated. "Please don't insult me, Lady Croft. I'm not with those sanctimonious bastards. If I personally met a Trinity agent in any capacity, I'd feel the need to snap their fucking neck on principle alone. This isn't about them. Now please, calm down so we can discuss this civilly."

Lara slowly sat back in her chair, studying the young man sitting before her. He was gazing calmly at Jonah, who was sitting back down as well, not seeming the least bit intimidated by the large man. Then he turned back to her, eyes shadowed slightly by messy black hair that hid his forehead. As he took another sip of his drink she finally managed to unclench her jaw. "Alright, why don't you tell us what you're talking about? What's wrong with Sam?"

"I'm sure you've noticed the changes to her behavior of late." 'Harry' said. "I know why it's happened, and the fact that the cause is threatening her life."

Lara felt her heart clench, remembering the vile, hurtful words Sam had hurled at her the last time she'd tried to speak with her. She still had no real idea what had caused the change. Her former therapist (who she now knew was being monitored by Trinity, if not outright working for them) had posited that the change was due to Sam's experiences on Yamatai. Which Lara could believe, if not for the timing. Sam had seemed fine for months before suddenly changing.

She'd always had a horrible feeling that Sam's behavior was indeed caused by something from the island. Perhaps some kind of curse. It wouldn't surprise her. But there was nothing she could do about it.

Now here was this boy telling her that whatever was happening was endangering the life of her sister in all but blood.

"How do you know this?" Jonah asked, eyes firm and hard, and Lara felt her chest tighten again. The events on Yamatai had changed her friend, made him the normally gentle giant harder, and their adventures in Kitezh had exacerbated the change.

Not that she'd emerged unscathed.

'Harry' glanced around to make sure they weren't being heard before leaning forward slightly. "You won't believe the reason I'm aware of this, along with your adventures on Yamatai and Kitezh. Not now at least. Let's just say…" He held a cupped hand on the table in front of him, and a flickering, black flame appeared. "…that I have my ways…"

Lara sucked in a breath at the sight. Magic. Real magic, not just an illusion. She could feel a surprising amount of heat from the small flame, confirming it was really there. She looked back up at 'Harry's' face.

She hadn't met a real magic wielder yet. She knew they must exist. Himiko'd had the power to control the weather and transfer her soul, and that was just the abilities she knew about. Jacob, if he'd had any powers, never displayed any beyond his inability to die, and that had been something granted by an artifact of power, not something he'd done.

"Who are you…?" She whispered.

The young man's eyes twinkled with amusement. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. I will though, once we get better acquainted." He sat back, letting the flame dissipate before picking up his drink and taking a sip. "The important thing right now is to help your friend before her condition gets to the point of no return. I'm honestly not sure it isn't already. I haven't had a chance to examine her in depth, just a cursory look to confirm my suspicions."

"What exactly is wrong with Sam?" Lara asked, serious once again.

'Harry' paused in thought. "You did well on dealing with Himiko and stopping the soul transfer. I'm honestly impressed. Unfortunately it had already begun and gone on for a bit before you stopped it. Because of this, part of her soul was successfully transferred. Just not all of it. That fragment of Himiko is growing stronger, feeding off of Sam, preparing itself to take over her body fully, bringing about the Sun Queen's return. If that happens, very few will be able to deal with her, and even less without being forced to kill her. She could cause incredible damage thanks to her control of the weather before she's stopped."

Lara felt as though her insides had turned to ice. She'd had suspicions, but… this was so much worse than anything she'd envisioned. Sam was being consumed by a parasite, and if she didn't do something quickly, Sam would be lost, and only Himiko would remain.

"What can we do about it?" Jonah asked, looking subdued.

'Harry' tapped a finger on the table. "I believe I can remove the piece of Himiko's soul from Sam. It won't be easy, or painless, for her, but it's the best option I can think of. I'd need a private location where I can perform what amounts to an exorcism without interruption, and access to Sam. If it weren't for those requirements, I'd have done this without bothering you, actually."

Lara blinked, surprised. "Why? You said you needed something from me, so doing something like this without telling anybody doesn't do you any good."

He gave her a lopsided smile that Lara had no doubt would charm any teenage girl instantly. "Honestly? Because it's the right thing to do. I'm not going to let an innocent woman suffer just because it's more convenient for me."

Lara felt herself relax fractionally as she looked him in the eyes. She could see that he meant what he said. Though there was something in his eyes that made her wary. They had a hardness to them, a kind of hardness she'd seen before.

She saw that look every time she looked in a mirror, now.

She gave herself a mental shake. "We can use Croft Manor for the exorcism. I'll contact Sam and tell her… hmm… I'll tell her that I discovered something new about Himiko and Yamatai. That's likely to get her attention. I'll ask her to come to the manor to speak about it. Would that work?"

Harry (she felt she could extend enough trust to believe that was his name, at least for the moment) nodded, pleased. "That works perfectly, Lady Croft. I'll come over when you're ready to get this done. Just give me a call at this number." He handed her a piece of paper with what she assumed was his mobile number.

Lara shook her head as she took the paper. "Enough with the 'Lady', please. I was never a big fan of it." She set her elbows on the table. "Now, what is it you want in return?"

"We can discuss that after we're successful, Miss Croft." He said after another sip of his drink. "The basic gist of it is that I want your help locating a mystical artifact. I don't want it for any nefarious purpose, no need to worry about that. Nobody'll get hurt if I use it. Promise."

Lara nodded slowly. "Alright, I can at least hear you out about that."

"That's all I'm asking." Harry finished his drink before getting up. "I'll be waiting for your call. I'll be ready when you are." He nodded to them. "Miss Croft, Mister Maiava." Turning, he walked away, hands in his pockets.

Lara turned to Jonah, who was already looking at her. "Are you sure about this, Lara? It's a gamble."

Lara took a deep breath. "It's a chance we have to take, Jonah. We can't leave Sam in Himiko's clutches an instant longer than necessary." Guilt pooled in her stomach as she berated herself for not seeing the signs and trying to do something, simply letting Sam try to cut her out of her life.

Jonah took her hand. "Hey, we'll fix this. Harry may be mysterious, but something tells me he's our best chance here."

Lara nodded. "I feel the same." She took a deep breath before downing the rest of her beer. "I'd better start getting things ready for… this."

Jonah nodded. "Call me whenever you're ready. I'll be there to help as much as I can."

Lara smiled gratefully before picking up her bag and leaving the pub.

* * *

It was a couple of days later that Lara opened the door to Croft Manor to let Harry in, Jonah already seated on a sofa by the fireplace. She was surprised, however, when instead of just the mysterious young man, two other teens were at her door as well.

One was a younger boy she'd guess to be fourteen or fifteen. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, with lightly tanned skin. He was wearing a purple shirt with an image of a green t-rex on it, and blue jeans. He was staring at her with wide eyes, for some reason.

The other was a young woman that might be reaching her twenties soon. She had long, black hair and green eyes with a pretty, aristocratic face. She wore a nice red dress that flattered her lithe body. She gave Lara a small curtsey when the door opened. "Lady Lara Croft, I presume? A pleasure."

Taken aback, Lara nodded. She wasn't used to being treated in such a way. "Ah, the pleasure is all mine. Come in." The trio stepped inside as Lara made way before shutting the door. As Jonah got up and turned to face the newcomers she spoke to the boy she was most familiar with. "I wasn't aware you were bringing anybody else, Harry."

"They insisted on coming to help." Harry said as he took off his black longcoat. He set it down on the back of a seat, leaving him in a bottle green polo and jeans. "They have their own talents that should be helpful."

"They can do magic too?" Jonah asked.

The blonde boy grinned widely. "Something like that."

Harry motioned to the boy. "This is Garfield. He'll help with restraining Sam if necessary." Then he turned to the girl. "This is Alice. She's here to check on Sam's mental stability after I deal with Himiko."

"Do you have any training for that?" Lara asked, unable to keep the skepticism from her voice.

Alice nodded, not looking offended. "A bit. I am currently taking psychology courses to compliment one of my abilities, which allows me to enter a person's mind. After Harry deals with this Himiko woman, we'll make sure she's medically stable before I check to see how her mind is faring. I expect her to be rather damaged by the experience, so you should remain close to comfort her, as her best friend."

Lara nodded hesitantly. "Can you really do that?"

Harry nodded. "Yes she can. It should prove to be invaluable with helping deal with the aftermath. Now…" He rubbed his hands. "When are we expecting her to arrive?"

"I told her to arrive in about an hour, to make sure you had time to set up whatever you needed to do this." Lara said. "I hope that's enough prep time."

"That's more than enough." He said with a smile. "Honestly, I don't actually need much preparation time. There's no magic circle, or dancing around with blood on my face and a live chicken in my hands or something. I just need an open space to restrain Sam in where we won't be disturbed."

"You said this would be painful for Sam." Jonah said, body tense. "How bad are we talking?"

Lara clenched her fists. She'd been hoping not to think about that part. Harry responded. "I'm not entirely sure. This is a… unique case of possession. I promise to try to be as gentle as possible, though."

Lara motioned to the teens to sit. "Well, if no real preparation is necessary, why don't we sit down and discuss what exactly is going to happen?"

Harry sat down. "Alright, the basic idea is that to use my unique affinity for soul magic to essentially reach in and disentangle Sam's soul from Himiko. The hard part for me will come in doing that without damaging Sam's soul. I couldn't care less about Himiko's. The difficulty increases depending on how entangled Himiko's soul has become. Not to mention the fact that the bitch will fight me every step of the way."

Lara let out a deep breath, trying to stop the slight shaking of her hands as she picked up her tea. "You said we'll need to secure her?"

"Himiko isn't just going to just let us do this." Garfield said, looking more serious than somebody his age should. "Sam will fight us every step of the way. We need to make sure she doesn't have any weapons or anything in reach she can use before we begin, and then we need to hold her down to make this as easy for Harry as we can."

"Physical resistance won't be her only avenue." Alice said softly, sipping a drink Jonah had offered her. "She'll most likely lash out verbally, trying to hurt you two, or guilt you into making us let her go. No matter what, you can't allow her to convince you."

"We won't listen to anything she says. Will we, Lara?" Jonah said as calmly as he could.

Lara shook her head. "Of course not."

"If it helps, think of it like forcing an addict to go cold turkey." Garfield said, ignoring the way Alice quirked an eyebrow at him, though Lara didn't. "She'll beg and plead and threaten, saying that it feels like she's dying and we're killing her, but we just gotta ignore her."

"You have a lot of experience with this sort of thing then?" Lara asked, relaxing at their surprising professionalism.

"I'm used to a lot of weird crap." Garfield said bluntly. "Possessions and exorcisms aren't exactly my usual thing, but it isn't that far out there either." Then he grinned. "Don't worry. Your friend will be back to normal in no time."

Surprisingly, Lara did feel better at his words. Her hands stopped shaking so much and she closed her eyes to take a breath.

They talked for a while longer, Lara and Jonah trying to get more information about the mysterious trio and not getting much. Harry and Alice could be very cryptic, answering questions without giving much information, while both kept Garfield from blurting anything out. Soon enough, however, there was a knock on the door, and they all went silent.

Lara slowly stood up, feeling her knees quiver slightly. She saw Harry motion to Alice and Garfield, the three moving to hide from Sam's view, not wanting to tip her off just yet.

Lara swallowed as she opened the door to find Sam standing behind it, a scowl on her pretty face, almond eyes glaring at Lara. "Alright Croft, I'm here. Now what do you have to tell me about Yamatai and the Sun Queen?"

Lara almost shrank back and the acidic tone Sam was using, feeling hurt spread through her. Instead she moved to the side to let Sam in. "Come in Sam, and we'll discuss what I found. Jonah's already here."

Sam stalked into the main hall of the manor, glancing around briefly before turning to Lara, utterly ignoring Jonah, who had stood up and was moving behind her. "Well? I'm waiting. I have other things to do, you know."

"Sam, I discovered something about Himiko." Lara said slowly.

She caught a flicker of unease appear in Sam's eyes. "Oh really?"

"Yes. I found out…" Jonah suddenly grabbed Sam's arms and held them behind her back.

"What the hell!? Jonah, let go!" Sam cried, struggling, before silencing as Lara continued speaking.

"I found out that you were possessing my best friend, you bitch." Lara almost snarled out, fists clenched.

Sam looked surprised, before the look on her face shifted into a sneer that looked utterly wrong on the usually jovial Asian girl's face. "So what if I have, child? What are you going to do about it? Kill your friend?"

Lara paused, not having expected Himiko to drop the pretenses so quickly. The mad former queen laughed, grinning malevolently at Lara from Sam's face. "You should hear that silly girl. She keeps struggling and weeping, crying out for you. Pathetic. As though you could have any power over me."

Lara felt fury roar through her veins at Himiko's taunting. "I stopped you before, Himiko."

"You delayed me, you stupid girl." Himiko snarled. "And for that I'll make you endure a thousand tortures. But there's nothing you can do to me now. Not without harming Samantha."

"Good thing she has help then." Harry said, stepping into view at last, Alice and Garfield at his sides.

Himiko took one look at him and, to Lara's surprise, started howling in abject fear, resuming her struggles to get away from Jonah. "Akuma! Akuma! Wh-what is one touched by Death and Darkness doing here!?" She cried, panicked.

Lara watched, eyes wide, as Harry let out a dark grin, his features shifting slightly. Now he bore strange black markings on his skin, including his face, and his pitch black hair was streaked with white. "I'm here for your soul, Himiko. You've been cheating Death for too long. I have a particular grudge against those who refuse to die when they're meant to." He looked at Jonah, emerald eyes glowing with power. "Lay her on the ground and hold her down. BB, help him."

Garfield moved forward before his form began to change and, to Lara's further shock, a large, green silverback gorilla stood in his place. The gorilla went to grab Sam's thrashing body by the legs, holding her down easily even as she continued screeching in terror.

Lara bit her lip before moving forward to stand beside them, Alice moving to her side and reaching up to gently take hold of her shoulder in comfort.

Himiko looked up at her, and for a moment she truly believed she was looking at her best friend again as she cried out with Sam's voice. "Lara, please, don't let him! He's going to kill me and eat my soul! Please, save me, Lara!"

Lara's resolve almost broke when she saw tears of fear begin to leak out of Sam's eyes even as she struggled with all of her might. Alice's grip on her shoulder kept her in place, but it was a near thing.

Harry kneeled down beside Sam's body. "Hold her still, boys." He rested a hand on Sam's thrashing chest, right above her breasts, and the other on her belly. Then he closed his eyes and breathed out before the lines on his skin began to glow with a dark light.

Sam arched her back and screamed the loudest scream Lara had ever heard in a dual toned voice, her eyes wide. Lara almost bit through her lip as she watched, using all her willpower to keep from dropping to Sam's side.

Light began to emanate from Sam's chest from under Harry's hands. Said boy was sweating with exertion, focused entirely on what he was doing, breathing deeply and evenly. Jonah was also looking tired. No doubt restraining a thrashing woman wasn't exactly easy. The green gorilla, for obvious reasons, didn't seem to be having as much trouble.

Slowly, after what seemed like an eternity to Lara of hearing Sam's screams, Harry began to move the hand on her chest up, seeming to be clutching something. In his hand was a writhing mass of gold and crimson energy. If Lara looked closely, she thought she could see the image of a beautiful Japanese woman snarling at all of them in fearful rage. Himiko, no doubt.

Once the energy was completely removed Sam collapsed back onto the ground, seemingly unconscious, as Harry brought it to his face. He cocked his head to the side in curiosity as he studied it. Then he smirked. "I don't know what lies next for you, Himiko, but I doubt it'll be nice. Enjoy Yomi." He brought his hands together to crush the mass of energy, the sound of a keening wail ringing out before the energy exploded from between his fingers, dissipating quickly.

Harry then let out a sigh and sat back on the ground as Lara hurriedly kneeled down beside Sam, studying her friend carefully, looking for anything wrong with her as Jonah and Garfield let her go.

"So, is it over?" Jonah asked Harry, looking tired as well.

Harry nodded. "Should be, yeah. She might retain a bit of Himiko's knowledge, but she should be back to being herself.

Lara gently caressed Sam's cheek, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes in sheer relief. At her touch Sam began to stir, eyes fluttering open to gaze up at Lara, who smiled. "Hey you…"

"La-Lara?" Sam whispered softly. At her friend's nod tears quickly began to fall down her cheeks. "O-oh god, Lara, I… I'm s-so…" She hiccupped before beginning to sob in earnest, "I-I'm so sorry, Lara! I… I tried to fight her! I really did! She made me do all th-those things…!" Then she couldn't speak any more, sobbing uncontrollably as Lara gathered her in her arms, tears in her own eyes as she gently shushed Sam.

"It's okay, Sam. It's all going to be okay. You're safe now. She's gone. I'm right here." Lara whispered softly.

Sam cried harder, clutching Lara tightly as she wailed her pain and horror at the violation and terror she'd endured, shaking uncontrollably, trying to speak and making no sense while Lara held her lovingly, giving her what comfort she could.

As Jonah knelt beside the girls, offering his silent support, Harry motioned for Alice and Garfield to follow him out to give the three some space. They left out the door onto the estate grounds without being noticed, Sam's cries echoing behind them.

* * *

In a nondescript flat in London a man sat in front of a group of monitors. His flat, brown eyes stared at the image of Lara Croft comforting her best friend on the floor of the main hall of Croft Manor, gently rocking the traumatized young woman in her arms. Then he picked up a phone and called the pre-programmed number.

"I have news." He said to whoever was on the line. "Croft has made contact with someone capable of manipulating souls. I am emailing the recording of him doing so now, and will continue to monitor the situation." He listened intently to the response. "Understood. I'll keep a special eye out for any methods of neutralization." He listened some more. "As you command."

The call finished, the Trinity agent set the phone back down and resumed watching the monitors.

* * *

 ** _Hello all. Before anything else, I have to do this._**

 ** _*ahem* WE HIT 400 REVIEWS! WOOOOT!_**

 ** _Alright, now that that's out of the way, the actual story._**

 ** _This is mainly a chapter to help set up why Lara will be helping the trio out, and also, as you can see by the end there, set up some conflict in the TR universe. Not to mention leaving Sam to suffer didn't sit well with me. I always liked her._**

 ** _Since I don't doubt somebody will mention it, yes, I know the Himiko thing is addressed in the comics. But I've only read the comics set before Rise, and decided to go my own way on it. I'll eventually read the ones set between Rise and Shadow (which was confirmed to be coming out in September as I wrote this chapter. Squee!), but not now._**

 ** _Now, in other news, I got a lot of feedback on the Harry/Alice pairing. Some good arguments for and against. That said, I'm still leaning towards them being more siblings than lovers, but that could change as the story goes if it works out. There are plenty of other options for the both of them._**

 ** _As I've had people trying to guess universes, I can neither confirm nor deny anything at this point. You'll find out when/if we get to them._**

 ** _As for Worm, I got somebody to help me out with that. Everybody put your hands together for sandmanwake! *thunderous applause* We've spent quite a bit of time talking about the details of Worm, the differences between canon and fanon, Word of God, and how my ideas would fit with what's established. I thank him for his patience and his extremely long and detailed messages on the minutia of the Worm-verse. I feel confident enough to tackle that portion of the story now, and I think it'll be cool when we get there. It's going to be a while, though. Still, thanks a ton, man._**

 ** _As for everybody else who offered to help, I'm very grateful for the effort. You all rock. sandmanwake just got there first._**

 ** _Now time for my next plug: I have yet another new story. By now you must be getting irritated with me starting new ones instead of continuing the ones I have, but my muse is a fickle little bitch, and she breeds attack plot bunnies._**

 ** _It's called Through the Filth and the Flames. It's a crossover between Ranma ½ and The Secret World (which is also getting new content soon! I'm so happy!). Anybody interested can find it in my profile. It's got 4 chapters so far._**

 ** _I… think that's all for this chapter's notes. Thanks everybody for the support and reviews (well, the nice ones, at least). Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'm looking forward to hitting 500._**

 ** _Till next time._**


	18. Exciting Reading

Lara sat behind the large oak desk in her recently repaired library, going through a book on artifacts of legend, the light of the moon shining in through the large window behind her. Pausing briefly to stretch, she looked up to see what the others were doing.

Seated in opposite chairs by the fire, Harry and Alice were reading as well. Alice was studying the text required for her psychology courses, making notes in a notebook on her lap. Harry was going through, of all things, a poetry book. It was 'The Warrior's Book of Poetry' (an uninspired title, honestly, but she supposed they couldn't all be winners), and Alice had bought it for him not that long ago. It didn't really seem like Harry's kind of thing to Lara, but he appeared engaged enough.

At another, smaller desk by the bookcases Sam was playing a game on Harry's computer as Garfield, or Beast Boy, as Lara now knew him, sat beside her, backseat gaming, an issue of the Teen Titans comic laying forgotten nearby. For obvious reasons, Beast Boy had been reading through DC comic books almost obsessively.

As Lara watched, she saw a digital version of herself try to keep her head above rushing water as she was pulled along by the currents of a river, desperately trying to avoid the dangerous debris scattered about. Sam unfortunately appeared to make the wrong move, and Lara winced as she watched herself become impaled on a long, wooden spike.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't kill me, Sam." Lara said, a teasing smile on her face.

Sam ducked her head, glancing back at her with a blush on her cheeks. "I'm trying, Lara, but this isn't exactly easy…"

Lara shook her head in amusement, still not sure what to think about her adventures being video games, of all things. "Try living through it. That was definitely not easy. And I didn't get retries."

Sam smiled lightly. "Good point…"

Lara sighed lightly, feeling more content than she had in months. She had Sam back, she had a new, interesting project, and she had three, very interesting new friends.

Not that things were perfect. Sam was still recovering, though Alice had helped immensely. She still wasn't quite as boisterous as she once was, and Lara often caught her glancing at her, as though assuring herself Lara was still there. And Lara had found herself rushing to a screaming Sam's room more nights than not to soothe her after a nightmare, her heart breaking for her friend every time.

Alice, privately, had told Lara that from what she knew (with caveats as to her still learning about psychology, though Lara already trusted the bright young lady more than any professional shrink), that Sam's mentality would be very similar to a rape victim's. She'd been violated in the most intimate way possible, completely losing control and being powerless to fight back. And it had lasted a long time.

She had latched onto Lara, taking comfort from her presence, and would likely try to avoid being alone without her. She'd hopefully recover, but it would be a slow process. If it weren't for the nature of the event, Alice would recommend professional counseling. Unfortunately it was extremely unlikely they'd find a therapist versed in cases of possession. And Lara didn't trust them regardless. Not after Ana and Trinity's manipulations.

Lara had practically ordered that Sam move in with her that very day. Sam didn't put up any sort of fight, just looking beyond grateful.

Lara smiled, still remembering that day, when she'd gotten her friend back and learned more about her saviors.

* * *

 _Lara and Jonah had moved Sam to a couch set in front of the fireplace, comforting her as best they could as she wept, partly with relief. It had been almost an hour since Himiko was removed, and Sam was only just starting to calm down._

 _Pulling away slightly from Lara, whom she'd been huddled against, eyes rimmed in red and bloodshot, Sam finally looked calm. She gratefully took the glass of water Jonah handed her, taking small sips as Lara gently stroked her hair. The three were silent for a time before Sam finally spoke._

 _"God, I'm such a fucking mess…" She said, sniffling slightly and rubbing her face, trying to get rid of the tears and other unpleasantness._

 _Lara smiled softly. "Completely understandable." Then her face fell slightly. "I'm so sorry, Sam. I should have known. I should have…"_

 _"Stop right there." Sam said, frowning at her. "There was nothing you could have done. It's not like you've got magic powers. How would you have even known?" She took a shaky breath. "I won't lie. I wanted you to save me, Lara. I wanted it so badly. I_ screamed _for your help." Lara bit her lip, turning away in shame. Sam gently took hold of her face and made her look her in the eyes. "But I know that you couldn't have helped. I was terrified I'd never be free because I couldn't see any way that you, or anyone, could save me. So I don't blame you. I'm just glad you did manage to do it anyway." She smiled gently, looking at Lara almost worshipfully. "I should have known better. You'll always protect me…"_

 _Lara felt like crying at the sheer faith her best friend expressed in her, and pulled the other girl in for a tight hug. "Always, Sam."_

 _Jonah smiled as he watched, content to see the two embrace. He was slightly surprised when Sam suddenly pulled away and turned to hug him as well. "Don't think I've forgotten you, big guy."_

 _He chuckled and hugged her back. "I'm just glad you're safe now."_

 _Sam held him for a bit longer before pulling back, turning to look at Lara. "How_ did _you know, though?"_

 _"I had suspicions that something wasn't right." Lara said. "Though I had no idea what, or how to fix it. Recently I thought it might have been something Trinity did, but again, no real clue."_

 _Sam furrowed her brow. "What's Trinity?"_

 _Lara waved her hand, not wanting to get into that particular mess at the moment. "I'll explain later. In any case, Harry was the one who came to us offering to help in exchange for assistance later. He apparently knew all about it, though I'm not sure how."_

 _"Who's Harry?" Same asked, curious._

 _"Harry was the one that removed Himiko from you." Jonah said._

 _To Lara's surprise Sam began to look apprehensive. "Him?" She bit her lip before looking into Lara's eyes completely earnestly. "Lara, be very careful. You can't trust him. He's-"_

 _She was interrupted when the front door opened and Harry, Alice and Garfield walked in, the two boys apparently arguing about something._

 _"-is it's absurdly convoluted! I mean, how does that even work? I'd never even heard about wands acting that way, and suddenly that just saves the day?" Harry said emphatically, waving his arms slightly, his skin still covered in eldritch markings._

 _"Dude, I'm telling you, from my experience, that's the way prophecies work. Hell, that was almost straightforward compared to some others I've heard about." Garfield said, and Lara blinked when she realized that his skin and hair were now green. She wondered what that meant._

 _Harry rolled his eyes as Alice looked at the boys in amusement. "Those books are such bullshit…" Then he turned to the three on the couch and smiled. "Well then, I hope things are going well here?"_

 _"Yes, I believe so." Lara said, smiling. She turned to Sam, only for her smile to slip off. "Sam?"_

 _The Asian woman was staring at Harry, trembling, looking absolutely terrified. Said boy quirked an eyebrow and took a small step forward, presumably to find out what was wrong, which only made Sam whimper slightly and shy away._

 _"Sam, what's wrong?" Lara asked, worried._

 _"He… He's…" Sam sounded scared to death, her eyes locked on Harry, like a rabbit before a predator._

 _Harry stopped advancing, a small, sad smile appearing on his lips. "You saw me the same way Himiko did, didn't you, Samantha?"_

 _Sam nodded timidly, gripping Lara's hand tightly._

 _Harry sighed and ran his hand through his white streaked hair. Beside him, Alice looked confused, while Garfield appeared to understand what was going on._

 _"Will you at least let me explain who and what I am? I'd rather not make Lara Croft an enemy, especially over a misunderstanding." He said gently._

 _Indeed, Lara realized she'd been glaring at Harry for frightening her friend. True, Harry had helped free her, but Sam was Lara's priority, and it was still entirely possible that the boy had some nefarious purpose._

 _Sam thought about it for a few moments before nodding. "O-okay…"_

 _"Thank you." Harry moved to sit on the other couch, Alice and Garfield sitting down on either side of him. He then leaned forward, elbows on his legs, looking like he was trying to think of how to explain. "…Alright, let's go with a cliché opening. What do you know of the multiverse theory?"_

 _Lara stared at the mage, confused. "You mean, like different worlds where, say, the Nazis won World War Two?"_

 _Harry smiled, satisfied. "Exactly something like that. But it's not just historical events that are different. Everything you can imagine can exist somewhere out there."_

 _"What do you mean?" Jonah asked, eyeing Harry._

 _"I come from a completely separate Earth. One similar to, but not exactly like one you've probably heard of." Harry said calmly, still smiling, before pausing._

 _Sam finally asked the obvious question after a moment of silence for the three to digest that absurd statement. "Which world?"_

 _Alice and Garfield glanced at each other, the green boy looking excited, the young woman amused._

 _Harry's smile grew into a grin. "Perhaps I should, fully, introduce myself first." He let a suitably dramatic silence settle before speaking again. "…My name is Harry Potter."_

 _Lara stared, incredulous, before glancing at her friends. Jonah looked deeply skeptical, eyebrows raised, while Sam was gaping in shock._

 _Before any of them could utter a word, Alice spoke next. "My name is Alice Liddel." Her red dress suddenly changed into a blue one of a style not seen in over a century, with even a white apron tied in front._

 _Lara didn't get the significance, not until Sam squeaked out. "As in, from Wonderland?" She grew more shocked when Alice nodded, a pleased smile on her face._

 _"And I'm Garfield Logan, but you'd probably know me better as Beast Boy." He then proceeded to turn into a green capuchin monkey, chittering at them and looking amused._

 _Once again, Lara didn't get it, and a glance at Sam showed she might have some idea but couldn't think of it at the moment. Jonah was the one that surprised her, however. "You mean, from the comics?" At Lara's look he shrugged. "My brother liked to read them."_

 _Garfield, or Beast Boy, changed back, nodding enthusiastically. "Kinda sorta. Different version than the one you're thinking of."_

 _"Wait, wait, wait, are you saying you're all fictional characters!?" Lara exclaimed, credulity strained to the breaking point._

 _Harry quirked an eyebrow. "Pot, meet kettle."_

 _Sam was the first to grasp the implication of that statement, reassuring Lara that whatever else, her friend's keen mind hadn't suffered much. "Wait, are you saying we're fictional characters to you?"_

 _"Video game characters, to be precise." Garfield said with a grin. "Lara is the main protagonist. She's very famous. A sort of female Indiana Jones."_

 _Lara gawked. Her, a famous video game character? Then she had an epiphany. "Is… is that how you knew about Yamatai and Kitezh?" She asked hesitantly._

 _Harry and Garfield nodded. "Yep." The green youth said. "One game for each adventure. Heard they were about to announce a third before we left our home, too."_

 _Harry turned to look at Garfield, interested. "Really? I knew there was a leak, but no official announcement."_

 _The other boy looked smug. "Being a famous superhero has its perks."_

 _"Wait a minute, are you saying that entire damn experience on that cursed island was a game to you!?" Jonah growled, looking uncharacteristically angry._

 _"Yes, and I do apologize for that, but before you get too indignant, I feel the need to point out that you've probably read and at least somewhat enjoyed a certain book series with a bullshit ending. Right?" Harry said calmly as Garfield snickered, making Jonah scratch the back of his head somewhat sheepishly._

 _"But…" Sam was confused, no longer as tense around Harry. "You don't look like the Harry Potter from the books. And I don't remember him having the power to yank souls out of bodies…"_

 _Lara was mentally reeling and wondering why Sam at least seemed to be going along with the idea so easily. She would find out later that the hazy knowledge of magic the other girl now held helped her believe the absurd tale._

 _Harry grimaced. "Ah yes, that. There's a story behind that, which includes the reason I scared you so much. Remember, I said I'm from a different version of that world. My story went a bit differently than the books did after the fifth book. Up to that point everything is pretty much as I remember it. It's… not a pretty story, but I'll tell it. Alice deserves to hear it, at the least."_

 _"Yes, I would like to know why you're so different from what I read of you, Harry. Not that I have much room to talk…" Alice said gently._

 _Harry took a deep breath as Garfield put a hand on his shoulder in support before beginning to talk, telling his story, beginning with the attack on his house and his ending up in a cursed town._

 _As he spoke, Lara grew more and more horrified by what she was hearing and the implications of such a place, and the entity in command. When she had the thought that it was entirely possible that there were places and beings like that in her own world, a part of herself she generally kept under firm lockdown began gibbering in terror._

 _Halfway through the tale Sam began to squeeze Lara's hand, seeking comfort, and she saw that Alice had done the same to help Harry, who hesitated several times, the memories obviously still paining him. The black haired girl looked at her friend with sadness and empathy. There was obviously a story behind the stoic young woman as well. But now wasn't the time._

 _When Harry's tale ended with Harry and Garfield getting launched out of their own world, things became silent. Harry reached for a glass of water, taking a drink to help his throat after the explanation. Then he set the glass down with a sigh. "So, now you know."_

 _Lara didn't know what to say. What could one say to someone who had endured something so horrific?_

 _"I'm sorry." Sam said, looking guilty. "You saved me, and I treated you with fear. I… I'm really sorry…"_

 _Harry shook his head. "No need to apologize. I don't know what I looked like to you, but considering Himiko's reaction I doubt it was cute and cuddly. I don't blame you for being fearful. I promise I'll never knowingly hurt you, though." He smiled at her gently, which she hesitantly returned. Then he clapped his hands. "Now, enough of this melancholy. We have more important things to do. We haven't checked on Sam's health, mental or physical, due to these distractions. That should be a priority. I'm not sure what damage I may have caused ripping that bitch out."_

 _Lara nodded and, ignoring Sam's protests, she and Alice proceeded to physically examine her to make sure there was no damage, Lara bringing out a medkit she kept for emergencies. Thankfully, Sam appeared to be physically fine, though they'd keep an eye on her. Then Alice explained to her about her ability to look into minds and her desire to check her mental state. Considering what she'd endured, Sam was understandably extremely wary, but in the end, agreed. And once that was over, after having heard Alice's diagnosis, Lara had ordered Sam to move in._

* * *

Lara sighed at the memory. It hadn't been a pleasant day, but she was happy it had occurred, if only for Sam's sake.

Looking back at her friend, she found her focusing on a firefight against some of the Solarii. Lara's digital counterpart was ducking behind cover, her bow in her hands as the crazy cultists fired on her position with assault rifles. Then she moved out of cover to fire her bow at one of them.

Sam, it seemed, was a horrible shot. Lara couldn't help but smile.

"Harry," Alice said from where she was sitting. "Could you come here, please? I don't understand this sentence."

Lara smiled wider at the familiar request. Being from an entirely different time period, Alice often had to request assistance interpreting things, and she always asked Harry for help when she could.

"Sure Alice." Harry said as he set down his book after placing its bookmark, smiling. He got up and began to make his way to her.

That's what saved his life.

The cracks of a controlled three round burst of assault rifle fire broke through the night, and before anybody could react the rounds slammed into Harry's shoulder, which was where his head had been a split second before. He went down with a cry of pained shock as blood sprayed out from the wound. "FU-"

Beast Boy's reaction was instantaneous. He threw himself at Sam, tackling her to the floor as she cried out in surprise and covered her with his body.

Lara was briefly shocked into immobility, but the sound of breaking glass as someone burst through the window behind her spurred her into action. She got up and turned in a split second, grabbing the rifle that was aimed forward to where she'd just been and turning it upwards. Then she let go to free a hand which balled into a fist that slammed into the assailant's throat, making him choke.

While Lara dealt with her attacker, another came in behind him, and two more crashed through the other large library window, rifles raised.

Alice, who had sat in shock at the sudden attack, Harry's blood covering her face, quickly flew into a rage. She screamed in fury as she stood, outfit morphing into her blue dress, her Vorpal Blade in hand. She rushed forward, knife ready to strike. One of the attackers raised his rifle to shoot Alice, but she was unnaturally fast, whirling into range and going for the kill before he could react, her knife rising to bury itself up into his chin, , through his mouth, and to his brain, killing him instantly.

Beast Boy hopped up from where he'd been protecting Sam, changing form to a kangaroo and jumping, then morphing into a hippo midair. The sudden weight made him fall onto his target, which tried to get away, with incredible force, the room shaking from the impact. The operative managed to keep from getting crushed to death, but his legs were powder, if that, and he couldn't help but scream in agony.

Sam, after Beast Boy got off her, kept low to the ground and scrambled over to the still cursing Harry, panicking as she saw blood begin to pool under his body. Without any better ideas she took her top off, leaving her in a white undershirt, and used it to try to stem the bleeding.

The enemy Lara punched in the throat released his weapon in reflex as he choked, and without hesitation the Lady of the House grabbed it, aimed at the last, untouched commando, and pulled the trigger as he was about to do the same to Harry, who was in his sights, firing a barrage of rounds into his body, one hitting his heart and making him fall before he could utter a sound. Then she turned and did the same to the barely recovering donor of her weapon, filling him with holes and ending the threat.

The entire event took thirty seconds, if that.

Lara brought the rifle up to her shoulder and aimed down the sights into the grounds around her home, searching for any more enemies. "Everybody okay!?"

Alice was panting from her brief exertion, mainly from the fury she'd felt. She brought a slightly shaking hand up to wipe Harry's blood from her eyes, still gripping her weapon tightly in her other hand. "I… I'm fine." Then she turned and rushed to Harry and Sam, kneeling beside them. "Harry, Harry, are you alright!?"

"Just… fucking peachy…" Harry grunted, sounding as much annoyed as he was in pain. "Help me up."

Sam and Alice glanced at each other, wondering if that was a good idea, when Beast Boy made his way towards them, back in human form. "Get him up, girls. We need to see the damage." Tentatively, as Lara kept watch, the two girls did so, helping Harry sit against the couch behind him, making him groan. Beast Boy kneeled in front of them, looking at the wound. "Alright, good news, looks like the shots were all through and throughs. If you can use your mojo, should be a relatively easy fix. You good to do it? Pain not too much?"

Harry cracked a sardonic grin. "Please, BB, I've had worse." He closed his eyes and focused. As the three watched his flesh began to knit together slowly, repairing the damage before their eyes. Within less than a minute, there was only some light scarring left to indicate he'd ever been wounded. Moving his arm tentatively he smirked with satisfaction. "There, good as new." Groaning lightly he began to get up, his friends moving to assist. "Now, anybody got any clue what the hell just happened?"

"We were attacked." Beast Boy said blithely, grinning at Harry's irritated look.

"Thank you for the information, Captain Obvious." He bit out before turning to Lara, who was still looking out onto the grounds, now with a night vision scope she'd pilfered from one of the enemies' bodies. "What do you think? Trinity?"

"That seems obvious to me." Lara said as she turned to check on him. "The question is, what prompted it?"

There was a pained moan from the corner of the room, and everybody turned to see the Trinity agent whose legs Beast Boy crushed glaring back at them through pain glazed eyes.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Harry said as he moved forward, kneeling in front of the operative, taking his headgear off to reveal a rugged, scarred face. Harry slapped the man lightly, trying to get him to focus. "Okay buddy, what was this all about?"

The agent sneered at Harry. "Go… to hell…"

Harry sighed. "Well, so much for the easy way." He stood up and made his way over to the others. "He's not telling us anything."

"Then what do we do?" Sam asked, crossing her arms. "We need to know why they attacked."

Harry sighed. "Times like these make me wish I had the slightest clue about the mind arts…"

Alice shook her head. "My power isn't useful for information gathering either." She was obviously not happy about that. "I go into mindscapes. I don't see actual thoughts."

Harry suddenly began to smile. "Hey BB, remember that thing we discussed?"

Beast Boy looked at Harry curiously before his eyes lit up. "Oh. Oh! Think it'd work?"

"Can't hurt to try." Harry said with a shrug, to which Beast Boy nodded.

The green boy moved towards the operative, who eyed him in unfocused anger, his eyes dull. "What do you want, monster?"

"This shouldn't hurt, dude." Beast Boy said before he began to change. To Alice, Lara and Sam's surprise, he didn't change into an animal. Instead it was a humanoid being with green skin. It had a thin mouth and relatively small, orange eyes in a conical head.

Sam turned to Harry. "What's that?"

"A Martian from our reality." Harry said. "They're powerful telepaths."

The Trinity agent's eyes widened at that information when Beast Boy spoke. "Looks like the Manor's bugged, Lara. From what this guy was told, Harry is a fallen angel in human form and needs to be destroyed by all that is holy. Me and Alice were secondary targets due to being from another world. And we only discussed that in this building."

Lara's eyes narrowed. "Damn, how did they manage that?"

"Well, you were rebuilding the place." Sam said. "It wouldn't be hard to slip some agents in with the construction crew to add some cameras and mikes." She shrugged at her friend's looks. "I like spy movies. Sue me."

Harry turned to Beast Boy. "See if you can get any information on bases and their headquarters. This is an opportunity."

The man's eyes widened in horror. "No! You will not find out anything else from me!" He quickly reached into a vest pocket and pulled out a grenade, priming it before any of them could react. "In the name of God, go to hell, you abominations!"

Harry, without a thought, moved forward and put a shield around the man right before detonation. There was the sound of an explosion, but nothing left the shield, though the floor rumbled from the impact.

Once he was sure that the danger had passed, Harry let the shield dissipate, revealing a lump of charred meat where the operative had been.

As Lara went to rub Sam's back while she went to puke in a corner, Harry turned to Beast Boy. "Get anything?"

Beast Boy changed back to his human form, frowning at the remains of the zealot, but nodded. "Just one thing. Venice."

* * *

 ** _Whew, another chapter, complete._**

 ** _This fic has now hit another milestone. It has passed the 1000 Follow mark. Lets keep it up. Next lets get to 1000 Favorites and 500 Reviews._**

 ** _Not really much to say for this chapter. It's rather straightforward, I think. Next chapter should be fun as we mess Trinity's shit up. Exciting._**

 ** _Some will complain about Harry being taken out of the fight like he was. To this I say: Harry isn't invincible. A sniper round to the head is as fatal for him as anybody else. He's tougher to kill, but he_ can _be killed. I hope this event makes that clear._**

 ** _I've decided on a sort of schedule for my fics, being that I'll do a chapter of Brightest in Shadow, then a chapter for a random one of my other fics (whatever catches my fancy, to be honest), then another chapter of this, and so on. I think it should work well, since I'm extremely interested in this fic, but don't want to burn out or get bored of it._**

 ** _I think that's all for now. Hope everybody enjoyed the chapter. Till next time._**


	19. Trinity vs Quartet

Harry jerked awake in his first class airplane seat, breathing heavily with cold sweat on his face, barely keeping himself from screaming. His heart was racing in his chest and his hands were clutching the armrests in a death grip. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes, trying to shake off the memories.

"Are you alright, Harry?" Alice asked from the window seat to his right, her copy of the first book of The Wheel of Time in her lap as she gazed at him.

Harry let out a breath and ran his fingers through his sweaty black hair. "I'm fine, Alice. Just a dream."

Alice studied him, trying to discern the truth in his words. "Have you been having many?"

Harry attempted to wave it off. "Nothing I can't handle."

Alice continued to observe him, so Harry turned to see what Lara and Beast Boy were doing on the other side of the aisle.

Lara was taking advantage of the time to continue her research, the small tray table in front of her covered in papers and a couple of old books, all of which she was studying intently.

Beast Boy was in his illusion, making him look like a normal boy. He had his phone out and earphones on his head as he watched something on Netflix.

"Do you know why I began studying psychology, Harry?" Alice finally said, making him turn his attention back to her.

"Beast Boy bought you Psychology for Dummies, and you enjoyed it and began looking into studying it." He said, remembering her initial distaste at being given something labeled 'for Dummies' and the verbal thrashing she'd given BB.

"That's part of it, yes…" She turned to look out the window at Europe passing below them. "Mostly, however, I wanted to help you, Harry."

Harry was confused. "Help me, Alice?"

She nodded, turning back to him. "Even before you told me about your experiences in that town, I knew something haunted you. It was in the little things you did. The sudden silences, the dark eyes you had when you thought nobody was looking. I thought that, maybe, I could help you somehow." She smiled softly. "You did save me, after all. I wanted to do something to repay that…"

Harry shook his head. "I didn't do anything, Alice."

"You're wrong." She closed her eyes briefly and took a breath. "I may have gotten rid of Bumby, Harry, but I had nothing beyond that. I would have been on the streets till I found some way to support myself, and it likely would not have been pleasant. Some of the only options for someone such as me in my home time aren't… pleasant, as I'm sure you well know. But you came along and, rather than haul me in to the police, you listened to my story and gave me a place alongside you and Garfield. You even brought me along when you left to try to get home, allowing me to do things I never imagined." She glanced out the window briefly with a small smile. "Like fly." She turned back to him. "I owe you more than I can say. And Garfield, of course. But mostly you, as you were the one to give me a chance." She took his hand, serious green eyes gazing into his. "You have these dreams often, don't you?"

Harry considered lying, but in the end sighed and nodded. "Every night since I left Silent Hill. Mostly memories about that accursed town, with differences that make things… worse. I wake up screaming, some nights…"

Alice looked pained. "Why didn't we hear anything, then? I'm a rather light sleeper."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "Silencing charms, mostly."

Alice scowled. "Harry, I think it's fairly obvious that you have some form of PTSD. You shouldn't be hiding it from us." Harry didn't say anything, so she sighed and squeezed his hand. "I may be a beginner, but I'm now your personal therapist, Mister Potter. I know you don't want me entering your mind at this moment, but that doesn't mean I can't use more mundane methods to assist you."

Harry frowned. "Alice…"

She raised an eyebrow challengingly. "You don't have a say in this. You need help, and you're getting it, whether you like it or not." She gave his hand one last squeeze before turning back to her book. "This isn't the place for us to have a first session, but we're going to set aside an hour at least once every other day. Understood?"

Harry let out a defeated sigh, though he couldn't help the rueful smile on his face. "Yes, Dr. Liddel."

Alice smiled before once again becoming engrossed in her story.

Feeling more relaxed now, Harry put on his headphones and began listening to music, closing his eyes and relaxing to the soothing tones of Queen.

* * *

Beast Boy stretched as he stepped out into the Venetian sun with the others, relieved to finally be out of the city's Marco Polo airport. He hated commercial air travel. At least Alice had enjoyed herself, it being the first time she'd flown, or left Britain, for that matter.

Speaking of Alice, her eyes were flitting about, taking everything she could in as Lara led the way to the water taxis, smiling at the attendant who helped them stow the two bags they brought. Wishing he could just turn into a dolphin and swim to their destination, BB got into the boat after the girls got in, Harry getting in last and giving the address of their hotel.

Alice eagerly began taking dozens of pictures as they entered the canals of Venice, and Lara grinned at the younger woman. "Amazing, isn't it?"

Alice nodded emphatically, eyes wide and roaming, a large smile on her face. BB felt a grin come to his own lips, the sight of the girl's happiness infectious.

Harry, he noted, was also looking around appreciatively, but his eyes scanned for more than just the aesthetic beauty of the city. He was warily looking for snipers or scouts that might be watching. BB began to do the same. There's no way Trinity didn't already know they were in the city. They'd have to be complete idiots to not prepare once they realized that the group was coming for them.

Thankfully the four of them arrived at their hotel without incident, checking into the large penthouse suite, which had enough room for all of them. Beast Boy entered the rather extravagant apartment with a grin, glad that Harry and Lara decided to jointly pay for the trip, making it pretty comfortable. Lara would have preferred to be a bit more frugal, but Harry had decided there was no reason not to spend a little extra on comfort. It's not like they couldn't afford it. Something which BB thanked Harry profusely for.

He hated flying coach with all his being.

"Beast Boy, if you would." Harry said as he and the girls remained in the entrance hall, not going forward. Beast Boy's smile dropped and he nodded seriously, turning into a German Shepard and beginning to sniff around for explosives or anything else unsavory.

After a ten minute sweep he returned to human form and gave the others a thumbs up. "We're in the clear, guys."

The other three entered and began making themselves comfortable, Harry pausing at each window to cast an unbreakable spell on them to prevent any snipers from getting them. Alice eagerly went to her room and lay down on the bed, luxuriating in its softness as Lara pulled out her phone to call Sam.

Sam had not been happy that the four of them were heading to Venice without her. She'd pleaded with Lara to let her come, but they all put their feet down. Unlike Lara, Sam didn't have any combat skills to fall back on against Trinity. When she'd argued that she would be safer with them since otherwise Trinity could just kidnap her for leverage, Harry spent an hour warding the manor so she'd be safe there, shutting that argument down. She'd finally, rather angrily, let them go, though she demanded that Lara contact her frequently, something her friend had no problem acquiescing to. She knew it was simply Sam being terrified of losing Lara again, this time in a more permanent fashion.

Beast Boy went ahead and ordered them all some room service, hungry from the trip and wanting to have something in his stomach when the time came to go over their next steps. After a hearty meal of pizza, pasta and salad, the group began to talk about what came next.

"Okay BB, where exactly is their base of operations in the city again?" Harry asked as he sipped his tea, leaning back in his seat.

Beast Boy gulped down the last of his veggie pizza before speaking. "There's an old church near the Doge's Palace. The tourists help mask the comings and goings of their agents. There's a way down underneath it. Pretty cliché, honestly."

Lara chuckled. "Trinity has been around long enough that such things weren't clichés when they set up." She sighed. "It's a pity that this isn't their main headquarters, but hopefully we can get some information and cause them some damage."

Alice shrugged. "True, but we should take what we can get. Now then, what's the plan?"

Harry rubbed his chin. "I was thinking I could use some glamours to disguise us and get into the church. Security will be on alert since they'll know we're coming, but they can't get us if we look nothing like ourselves. After that…" He shrugged. "I'm not exactly against just ripping through them once we're inside and away from the tourists."

Beast Boy's eyes gleamed as he leaned forward. "I have an idea…"

* * *

The next day a trio of blond, tanned siblings, two girls and a boy, entered a small but beautiful church, discussing something in German as they snapped pictures with the cameras around their necks, marking them as obvious tourists. They weren't the only ones doing that, so the Trinity guard sitting and acting as though he was praying didn't pay them much mind beyond tensing slightly when they passed the entrance to the rest of the church and the complex beyond it.

He never noticed a small green lizard slip out from under the boy's pants and under the crack in the door.

Beast Boy slowly and carefully made his way through the church hallways, sticking to the shadows and using the memories he'd taken from the Trinity agent to head straight for the entrance to their underground lair. The trip took longer than he'd wanted, but they had accounted for the possibility. Finally he reached the entrance, a normal looking wall marked only by the large crucifix on it. All the while finding the cliché's hilarious, he looked around for cameras before changing briefly to his human form and turning the crucifix exactly nighty degrees. There was a click before the wall shifted slightly. He pushed it open a crack before slipping back into being a lizard and slipped into the stairway beyond.

He hurried down the stairs as quickly as his tiny legs could carry him, reaching the shadows at the bottom just as the steel door opened on well-oiled hinges, letting a woman in a Trinity uniform come out, a pistol in her holster, obviously heading up to check why the wall opened.

Beast Boy let her pass before silently shifting back into human form. Before she had a chance to react he wrapped an arm around her throat and kicked her in the back of the knee so she'd be below him. He kept the chokehold up while she struggled till she slumped, unconscious. He set her down in the corner beside the steel door before shifting into the form of a house cat. Not as stealthy as a lizard, but would let him get around faster.

BB stalked through the underground complex, eyes taking everything in. Quite a bit of the base was packed up, hardware and items of interest in boxes and paper shredded in wastebaskets. Trinity was preparing to abandon the base and were trying to get rid of anything that could be used against them. He briefly debated changing back into a martian to get information, but decided against it. He wasn't practiced with it, and it gave him a huge headache. Besides, he'd be noticed instantly and wouldn't be able to focus on probing for intel while being shot at.

When he got back home he'd be going to J'onn for some pointers.

He'd managed to make his way pretty deep into the complex before he was spotted. A lab tech came out of what looked like a research lab carrying a box of what looked like old artifacts and stopped as she spotted BB. "What's a cat doing here?" She mumbled, not registering the problem for a moment before her eyes widened. "Wait, a green cat…?" She opened her mouth to scream. "INTRU-!"

BB didn't give her a chance to finish, jumping and shifting in mid-air, his fist extended to slam into the woman's face, knocking her against the wall and making her drop the box with a crash.

He sighed as he heard the sound of rushing feet making their way to his location. Well, stealth was officially not an option anymore. As the base alarms began to sound, he shifted into a tiger and pounced on the first poor mook to turn the corner with a roar.

Back topside, the guard jerked when his earpiece informed him of the intruder below. He got up unhurriedly and made his way to the door, trying to be surreptitious. He didn't notice the German tourists follow him. He quickly rushed to the entrance to the stairs once away from the crowds, pausing when he saw it was already open. He began to draw his hidden pistol when he felt a hand touch his back before it all went black.

Harry let the red spell dissipate from around his hand, the glamour that made him look like a blond boy wavering and disappearing. He opened the passageway as the girls came up behind him, Alice already in her blue dress while Lara was tying her hair back in a messy ponytail. They made their way down, Harry Stupefying the unconscious guard for good measure, before they entered the base proper, hearing the ringing alarms and the sounds of gunshots.

Harry pulled a marble out of his pocket before it shifted into his revolver with a whispered word as Alice summoned a parasol to her hands and Lara whispered her trigger word to have her pistols come to her hands from the charms on the bracelet Harry had enchanted for her, 'Endurance'.

Now armed, the trio moved further into the base, spotting the same things Beast Boy had. Lara frowned as she pulled a mass of shredded paper out of a wastebasket. "It seems like we'll need to focus on the computers if we want any information…"

Harry nodded and pulled a portable hard drive out of his bag. "Here, start collecting what you can find. Alice will stay here to cover you while I go help BB." His head snapped up as a group of lab techs and maintenance personnel came around the corner, obviously intending to escape. More than one person's eyes widened as they spotted the three, and several began trying to run back the other way when they saw Harry raise his revolver, tripping over the people behind them.

Harry began to fire his gun, stunning bullets hitting the fleeing Trinity workers, making them drop to the floor, more than one breaking their nose on impact with the ground. He turned to the girls. "You ladies good on your own?"

Alice twirled her parasol. "We'll be fine, Harry. Go help Garfield."

He nodded before making his way deeper into the facility, following the sounds of roaring animals and panicked shooting.

Beast Boy was leaving a trail of devastation. He left Trinity soldiers strewn about the ground, lacerations and/or broken bones on every single one. His opponents found him to be an enormous pain in the ass due to his constant shifting. One moment a bear was launching a soldier several yards away, the next a small monkey was crawling on another, only to turn into an anaconda that promptly strangled his foe, dropping to the ground as a squirrel when about to be shot, then charging at the shooter and changing into a bull midway. It was driving his enemies mad.

Things didn't improve for the Trinity agents when Harry came onto the scene. With one hand he fired his gun, while the other spit out streams of colored light that had various effects on his opponents, from turning them into chickens to making them dance uncontrollably, wreaking even more chaos among their number. It didn't take long before every base defender was down, Beast Boy turning back to human and stretching out from the exertion.

"I'm out of shape." The green boy complained. "Haven't needed to shift so often and so quickly in a while."

Harry chuckled. "Something tells me you'll be getting plenty of practice, BB." He looked at a nearby room full of artifacts, apparently from various digs around the world. "Hmm… We should probably secure these…" He began to use his magic to shrink and store everything into a bag he brought along for just such an event.

Back with the girls, Lara had moved from office to lab to office, saving as much information as she could find. One thing she found very interesting was a list of potential artifacts of power, their suspected locations, and plans for retrieval. The young woman's grin was gleeful as she saved that to study later.

Alice was twirling her parasol as she kept watch. She turned to Lara, curious. "Have you found anything of interest?"

Lara nodded. "Yes. Well, of interest to me, at least. Nothing on Trinity's other bases. I'd guess that's the first information they deleted. What I'm finding now is the lower priority stuff they hadn't gotten around to backing up and deleting."

"A pity, but unsurprising." Alice said calmly. "It would have been foolish in the extreme for them to leave further breadcrumbs when they knew we were coming."

Further conversation was interrupted when a trio of soldiers came into view, immediately raising their assault rifles and firing. Lara reached for her pistol, but Alice set her feet and set her parasol in front of her like a shield, twirling it. To the attackers' (and to a lesser extent, Lara's) surprise, the shots hit the parasol and ricocheted, many travelling back to strike the shooters, who went down with cries of pain. Once the assault was over the girl set her parasol over her shoulder and glanced back with a small smile. "Nothing to worry about."

Lara chuckled and went back to work. She was interrupted again, this time by the base's alarm changing tone before a voice began to speak. The archeologist's face went deadpan before she sighed. "Seriously…?"

Beast Boy, who had been about to change into his martian form to attempt some information gathering, groaned in irritation. "Why does this always freaking happen? This isn't a damn action movie!"

Harry listened to the self-destruct notification before shrugging. "Guess we're done here. Let's go get the girls and leave."

The two made their way through the strewn bodies of the Trinity soldiers, the self-destruct warning grating their ears. Soon they reached the others, Lara just finishing unplugging the hard drive from a computer's port and handing it to Harry. "Got as much as I could. Interesting stuff I'll want to go over later, but nothing of immediate use."

Harry nodded. "Well, we knew it was a longshot. C'mon, let's get out of here."

The group nodded and began to leave, Lara leading the way with her pistols at the ready. They stopped when they heard a gunshot and Harry felt something impact the back of his head, forcing it forward from the force. The he turned to look at the lab tech who had shot him with an annoyed look on his face. Said tech looked like he was pissing his pants. "Wh-wha-what…?"

Harry glared at the terrified man. "Believe it or not, I do learn from my mistakes." He turned and launched a red light at him, making him drop, unconscious.

"You okay, dude?" Beast Boy asked, Alice and Lara looking concerned.

"Fine, guys. Just a headache now. C'mon, let's get back to the hotel. These freaking alarms are pissing me off…"

Nodding they left. Shortly thereafter the entire base went up in an explosion which shook Venice like a small earthquake. No one was hurt.

No one other than Trinity, at least…

* * *

 ** _Relatively short chapter I'm not all that satisfied with. The entire base assault wasn't up to my standards, but I can't figure out how to improve it without making it beyond unnecessary. *sigh* Oh well…_**

 ** _I don't have too much to say regarding the chapter at the moment. It was mainly a small action piece with some character development and setup for the next part of our time in Lara's world._**

 ** _Now then, I have a question for all of you._**

 ** _I have a bunch of ideas I haven't written a first chapter for that I want to get out of my head. However, I can't decide which one to do first. So I'm posting a poll on my profile with my ideas. The one that gets the most votes will be the one I work on. I'll give it a week since I intend to take this coming week off writing to catch up on anime and such. Here are the options (they'll be described in the poll too):_**

 ** _Harry Potter/Castlevania: Inspired by Survival of the Fittest and an alternate idea for the beginning of Brightest in Shadow which would have replaced SH, the basic premise is Harry is captured and stuck in a certain castle without even a wand by Voldemort with a monitoring charm stuck to him so snake face can watch our hero die horribly by the hands of the various denizens. To secure himself more power and fear, he makes it so the events are also shown in the Hogwarts Great Hall. So Harry has to survive a castle full of monsters, all the while unaware his every move is being watched by friends and enemies alike._**

 ** _Harry Potter: Based on the classic Make A Wish, this is a more serious take where Harry leaves Britain to see the world and learns from various people along the way, making friends and allies, and gaining new tools and skills. I'd basically be winging it when it comes to Harry's itinerary, but… well, that's nothing new for me._**

 ** _RWBY/Disgaea: Jaune is on a mission with his team hunting down kidnappers when it turns out they're cultists. Through classic Jaune luck he trips over his own two feet, and next thing he knows, a giant penguin is staring at him. Welcome to the mayhem, Jaune._**

 ** _Legend of Zelda: Primarily based on OoT/MM with elements of other games in the series, and based on the excellent, if weird I Just Want a Vacation. Link has returned to Hyrule after traveling through various lands in his search for Navi, fighting even more apocalyptic beings and gaining a greater arsenal than he has any right to. He has excellent timing, because a great tournament is beginning in Hyrule. Should be fun… Right?_**

 ** _I have other ideas, but they're more nebulous or in need of further information. I have an idea for a Pokemon story, for example, but haven't seen the anime since Hoenn. I plan, some day, to watch the Japanese version of the entire series, but that will, uh, take a while. ._**

 ** _Anyway, the poll will be up till Fri 27th. Please vote for your choice before then. I won't be taking into account any review voting, though. Sorry._**

 ** _I think that's all for now. Till next time, all. Review!_**


	20. Elephants and Bullets

The five residents of Croft Manor were once again gathered in the library two days after the Trinity base assault. Sam had been happy to have them back no worse for wear, but she wasn't so sure about Harry and Beast Boy's moods.

Indeed, the two had been rather irritable ever since they left Venice. Sam, Lara and Alice kept glancing at the boys, who were both sulking in their own ways. Alice especially was glancing up from her textbook rather often, brows furrowed.

Finally, Beast Boy threw the comic he was reading onto the table and practically glared at Harry. "You know that was a freaking disaster, right? I mean, it was downright embarrassing."

Lara looked up from her computer, where she was reviewing the list she'd gotten from Trinity's files, while Sam paused Rise of the Tomb Raider to listen in. Only Alice didn't react, though it was obvious she was listening.

Harry sighed as he put his phone down from where he'd been watching a show. "I know, BB. Not only did we manage to not capture anybody for interrogation despite trying to keep them all alive, which was pointless considering the damn self-destruct, but I was a moron for not using a simple Reparo to get us the shredded documents. Sure, anything printed out was almost certainly useless, but that doesn't change the fact that there might have been something useful." He groaned and let his head fall back. "Honestly, I blame the fact that I'm a freaking amateur. I may have been able to harass the DEs with my raids, but that doesn't mean I have experience with full-fledged assaults like what we tried. I need to look into military operational procedures and the like."

Beast Boy nodded. "Can't say I'm much better, man. With Doom Patrol and the Titans I was mostly muscle. I left stuff like information recovery and things like that to my teammates. Doesn't mean I can't do it, just not used to being in that roll."

The two boys sighed, but Alice rolled her eyes. "Honestly you two, it is not the end of the world. Yes, mistakes were made, but you can learn from them, and we still obtained a good amount of information. Isn't that right, Lara?"

Lara nodded. "Yes. The list I'm looking at, for example, is both fascinating and worrying. It details potential items of power around the world, along with their possible locations and plans for retrieval." She frowned. "It seems I was not the only archeologist they are keeping tabs on. I have here information from several well-known names in the field that I recognize."

"What kind of items?" Sam asked.

Lara trailed a finger down the list. "Hmm, well, there's an Aztec dagger in Mexico that might have power due to the human sacrifice that was practiced there. They think it might be able to grant someone the power of those killed with the blade. That's worrying…"

"I'dda thought that Trinity would focus on Christian artifacts." Beast Boy said, confused.

Lara shrugged. "I don't think they care much as long as they can make use of it." Then her eyes widened. "Oh… Oh my…"

"What?" Alice asked curiously.

"I think this item is what I've been looking for." She clicked on her mouse a couple of times. "Pushan's Lance." She read through the information. "Pushan is the Hindu god of meetings, marriages, cattle, roads and journeys. His lance is said to have many powers, but the one Trinity is interested is one said to allow passage to realms other than the human one. Trinity believes that it could lead them to a heavenly realm."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "They do realize it probably leads to a Hindu heaven, right?"

Harry, however, saw what she was getting it. "If it leads to other realms, maybe it can be used to access our home dimension."

Lara nodded before hesitating. "There's a problem, however."

Harry smirked sardonically. "Of course there is."

"According to this information, their expedition to obtain it began yesterday. There's no telling how far along they are in its recovery." Lara said, eyes serious.

Harry glanced at Beast Boy, who nodded. "Guess we should get some tickets to India, then."

Lara promptly open up a travel site, quickly looking for flights to New Delhi.

Sam sighed sadly. "You're leaving me behind again, aren't you?"

Lara paused before turning to look at her best friend. "I'm sorry Sam. Jonah will know to come by and keep you company again, though."

The American girl got up and wrapped her arms around Lara. "Just… come back."

Lara hugged her back. "I promise."

* * *

Two days later most of the quartet was riding elephants through the dense Indian jungle, heading towards the location outlined in the documents.

Alice was delighted at the experience, patting her mount happily, acting her age for once, in spite of Cheshire's snide comments in her ear.

Lara was just glad for Harry's cooling and bug repellant spells. It made travelling in the jungle much more bearable than it could have been.

Beast Boy had taken the form of an elephant as well, Harry having used a spell to make their guide/elephant wrangler ignore the change and the odd coloring. It made things a lot simpler for the boy, as he didn't have to worry about tripping on something.

"According to my notes we should be approaching the temple to Pushan that Trinity was searching for." Lara called so the others could hear her. Then she bit her lip. "I can only hope that we're not too late and they've already left."

"If they have then we will simply have to search for any clues and keep trying." Alice said calmly as she turned her head to look at Lara. "I do not believe we have to worry much, however. We doubtlessly would have noticed something if th-" She was interrupted as a loud gunshot rang out, spooking the elephants even as Alice was launched from her ride's back by the force of the bullet slamming into her chest combined with its panicked moving, falling to the ground with a cry of shock and pain.

"Take cover!" Harry cried as he slid off his elephant's back even as another shot barely missed and buried itself into the tree behind him.

The elephants were panicking, and Beast Boy tried to keep them under control along with the handler. He gave it up as a loss when the man got shot in the back, dropping to the ground. He shifted into his human form and moved to the man's side, putting pressure on his wound. "Medic!"

"We don't exactly have one!" Harry yelled as he brought his gun up, aiming for where he thought the shots were coming from. He pulled the trigger and smiled in satisfaction as he heard a cry followed by the sound of someone moving through the brush.

Alice had recovered, though she had an ugly bruise forming on what was visible of her chest, and scrambled over to Beast Boy and the guide as the elephants stampeded away, knocking trees down. She reached for her bag, pulling out some bandages she'd put away just in case, and started wrapping the man's chest as best she could. "We need to get him to a hospital, now!"

Harry glanced over to the three even as he kept his gun up warily. "I can make a portal to the hospital we passed in New Delhi. I made sure to memorize its location. Get ready to move him."

He jerked back behind the tree when another shot almost got him in the head, hitting the tree a few inches away instead. He was about to fire back when a cry of pain echoed out from where the shot came from, then nothing.

Harry took the chance to open the portal, Alice and Beast Boy quickly moving the guide through it as gently as they could afford to. As he did, Lara came out of the jungle, one of the climbing axes she'd had at her side in her hand, the end slick with blood. She sighed as she looked around, her eyes briefly on the portal before turning to Harry. "Everybody alright?"

"Merash took a hit to the back. The others took him to a hospital." Harry said. Even as he spoke, Alice and Beast Boy came back through the portal.

"They rushed him into surgery as soon as we got him there. No clue if he'll make it, though." Beast Boy said grimly.

"I'm assuming our attacker was with Trinity?" Alice asked as she turned to look at Lara, who was leaning her axe.

Lara nodded. "Yes, he was. He had the Trinity patch on his sleeve."

"Good." Harry said, nodding. "That tells us they're still around, so we might still have time. We should keep moving. Keep an eye out for any more guards. BB, shift into something inconspicuous and scout ahead."

"You got it." Beast Boy quickly shifted into a monkey and took to the trees.

As the three currently humans began to make their way through the thick jungle, Lara leading the way with her greater experience, Harry glanced at Alice as she winced, bringing her hand up to her chest. "You alright?"

"Yes, just some bruising." She said, smiling at him. "The amulets you made for us seem to be working, considering I do not have a large hole in my chest right now. So I can deal with a bit of discomfort."

"I'm glad." Harry said with a sigh and a smile.

The walked for a further fifteen minutes, all of them wary of any more ambushes, when Beast Boy dropped from the trees. "Found the temple. It's about half a mile away. And there are definitely Trinity agents there. Place is crawling with them. Not sure if a frontal assault is a good idea, but I don't see any way past them into the temple, at least not at first glance."

"Could you perhaps perform some further recon? Maybe turn into a bird and fly around to look for any other entrances? If not we might need to make our own, and I'm loathe to damage the ruins." Lara said.

"I can try." Beast Boy said.

"BB, if you can't find an obvious entrance, find us a location away from prying eyes so I can make us our own." Harry looked at Lara. "Don't forget, I can repair any damage we cause, so don't worry about any holes we open up. Our priority needs to be to keep Trinity away from the Lance and whatever else is in there."

Lara sighed but nodded, reassured. Beast Boy promptly turned into a local green bird and headed off to the temple, the others following behind him.

Before long they reached a small cliff overlooking the temple, the three of them taking care to be as stealthy as possible. They looked over an impressive looking temple ruin, which was surrounded by dozens of Trinity agents and equipment. Guards kept a wary eye out as what appeared to be researchers wandered around.

"Looks like they haven't found anything yet." Alice whispered. Lara nodded, but before she could respond there were shouts from the entrance to the temple. The three turned to see a couple of men dragging a soldier out of the temple, his left leg missing from above the knee as he screamed his lungs out.

"I think we can see why. There must be defenses on the Lance." Lara said.

"Great. Let's hope it's not an asura or something." Harry said before turning as a certain green bird fluttered down onto a nearby branch. The bird whistled before tilting its head to the side. Then it fluttered to another, further, branch.

Easily getting the picture, the three followed Beast Boy as he led them around the side of the temple to an area where a wall was up against another, higher cliff. Beast Boy dropped to the ground and transformed. "Alright, nobody is guarding this area except up above on the cliff, and they don't have a good view of this area. You should be able to make an opening here without being noticed, as long as it's not loud."

Harry nodded. "Alright, should be easy enough." He set his hands on the wall and slowly ran them along it, the ancient stone turning into liquid and dripping to the ground as his hands passed it.

Lara and Beast Boy kept an eye out for any enemies, but thankfully nobody had come by before Harry was done making an opening into the dark halls further in.

"Ready, guys?" Harry asked, and his three companions nodded. Taking a breath, Harry created an orb of light above his open palm, and stepped into the temple.

* * *

 ** _Short chapter. It's mostly transition, but I need to figure out what's going to happen in this new dungeon/tomb. I have some ideas. We won't be there long, though. I'm looking forward to moving to the next universe, even though I know I'm going to get hate for it. Oh well._**

 ** _Lot of people pointed out that Harry could have reparoed the shredded paper. I know, trust me, but much like Harry getting shot in the manor, this is about Harry learning and growing. A stupid mistake like that is bound to happen. He isn't suddenly going to a perfectly savvy agent._**

 ** _As for Harry's non-lethal tactics in the last chapter, I feel like I've explained that sufficiently in this one._**

 ** _That said, don't hesitate to point out when you think I fucked up (politely, please). This is, after all, a learning experience for me too, and if nothing else it'll give me the chance to cover my ass in the next chapter somehow._**

 ** _On another note, I've removed two universes to the list of ones planned for visitation, primarily because I don't have solid plans for what to do with them, or with elements from them. Since they're no longer going to be used, I see no harm in informing you of what they were._**

 ** _The first came from the idea that I wanted to get Alice a pet. No, Beast Boy doesn't count. However, I didn't know what to get her that wouldn't be a burden or pointless._**

 ** _So I decided to send them to Pokemon to get some critters._**

 ** _Each team member would have had their own type, with Harry getting Dark type pokemon, and Alice Fairies, for example._**

 ** _However, I couldn't think of how to use the pokemon in the future. Sure, they could be potentially useful, but I never actually considered them as an asset in any of my planning. The entire point of getting them pokemon would have just been to see which ones I'd give who. And that works better as an omake._**

 ** _The other cut universe was Babylon 5. I had the idea of the team showing up at the station and causing a panic, but beyond that, no real idea for how they'd affect that universe for better or worse. Another idea that fits better in an omake. So I scrapped it._**

 ** _Pity, though. I love Babylon 5 to freaking death._**

 ** _I think that's all… Oh, for those who didn't notice, the HP/Castlevania story won the poll. It was updated about a week ago. Check it out if you haven't. I might update that next week, but I was thinking of something for Dragon… Well, we'll see. I have the weekend to think on it._**

 ** _Thanks for reading this shorter than usual chapter, guys. Hope you enjoyed. Till next time, please review._**


	21. Spelunking

Lara and Alice cracked some glow sticks for light as Harry repaired the hole they'd entered through to make sure they weren't followed. They looked around as Beast Boy shifted into the form of a hound, sniffing the air before letting out a sneeze.

Harry turned to the others once he finished. "Alright, they won't know we came in till the shooting starts, so we should try to stay unnoticed as long as possible." He turned to Lara. "You know more about such places than the rest of us. Lead the way."

Lara nodded and began to slowly make her way down the halls of the ancient temple, one hand holding a glow stick, the other hovering at her side to draw her pistol if necessary.

"I'm surprised that we haven't already run into a Trinity soldier," Alice said quietly.

"They've probably already cleared this area and are focused on however deep into this place they've gotten." Harry responded. "Besides, I doubt they thought somebody would be able to get through the wall without them noticing."

After about ten minutes Beast Boy stopped where he was moving at Lara's side, growling low in his throat. The other three stopped and listened, hearing voices further ahead and around a corner.

"God, this is boring. These artifact hunts are always dull as hell, and we never get an actual item out of it." One voice said.

A second voice scoffed. "Didn't look like nothing when they were dragging Martinez out without his fucking leg. I think this one's legit."

"Still, why did they mobilize so much security out for this? Last time I was part of one of these ops we had about a quarter less people." The first voice asked.

"The higher ups aren't taking any chances anymore after the way that job in Siberia went to hell. Entire op sunk by a single woman. That was straight up bullshit." His friend said.

Harry moved forward and reached into his bag, silently pulling out the silvery material of the Invisibility Cloak and wrapping it around himself, disappearing from the view of the others as he slowly crept down the hall to the chatty guards.

"I still say that can't be true. No way a single woman is good enough to do stop such a large scale op. That's the kind of thing Hollywood execs think sells." The complainer said.

"Yeah, well if we ever meet her, you can ask wh-" The Trinity guard fell silent as he dropped silently to the ground alongside his partner, disembodied hands wrapped in red energy hovering in the middle of the hallway behind them.

Harry quickly removed the Cloak before launching a couple of severing spells at their necks, severing their jugulars, letting them bleed out without ever waking, a small grimace of distaste on his face. He didn't like killing people this way. Doing so in the middle of a fight for your life was better than assassinations on his conscience, but it was dangerous to potentially let them wake up behind them. At least it was painless, he told himself.

The others came around the corner and joined him in continuing, each glancing at the bodies before moving on.

Soon they reached an open area surrounded by large walls, leading into an extension of the temple carved into the cliff, obviously leading to a series of caves, if the amount of people moving in and out of them was any indication.

The group ducked down behind a low wall, gazing carefully over it to study the sight.

Trinity had set up several machines for various purposes they could not surmise just from glancing at them. The setup wasn't as large as the staging area outside the temple, but there were a few crates of supplies scattered around. There were about fifteen guards standing around, with twice that many techs scurrying around and working on laptops.

As they watched a man in a more elaborate outfit walked among them. He was powerfully built, with close cropped brown hair and harsh black eyes. He had a pistol on his hip, along with a machete. He occasionally stopped to give orders to the various techs and soldiers working around him.

"So much for stealth." Beast Boy, who had just shifted to human form, said as he observed with the others. "There's no way we're all getting passed that group without drawing some sort of attention. I could probably do it, maybe Harry, but not you girls."

"Agreed." Lara said. "In that case we should try to take these soldiers down as quickly as possible. And we should start with the leader. If there's one thing Konstantin taught me, it's to get rid of the boss as soon as possible. It'll save you a lot of headaches later." She said, her eyes tracking the large officer.

"Alright then, we should get into a good position while we can." Harry pulled the Cloak back out. "Girls, stay here. BB, turn into something inconspicuous and move over near the caves to keep any Trinity soldiers from running into them for cover." He once again wrapped his form and disappeared from sight except for his head. "I'll move to the other side of the yard to turn this into a killing field for us. Get ready to attack on my signal." He flipped the hood up and disappeared completely.

As Lara murmured the word to bring her assault rifle out of the charm bracelet it had been enchanted on and flipped it to full auto, Beast Boy shifted into a lizard and made his way along the wall to the caves, taking care to not be spotted even though nobody should pay any mind to a lizard in the jungle. Alice once again summoned her parasol, keeping it out of view, planning on covering Lara. Yes, they all had enchanted amulets, but they wouldn't hold up to sustained fire, and they didn't stop all of the kinetic force, as the bruise on her chest proved, so it was best to just not get hit.

Lara and Alice waited tensely for about 5 minutes, both ready to move at a moment's notice. Lara's eyes were darting about as she studied the positions of her enemies, determining who to take out first for as long as the element of surprise held. The soldiers were the obvious first targets. They wouldn't be harming the techs unless given no other choice. Her grip on her rifle tightened in anticipation.

The Trinity agents didn't know what happened at first. One moment the officer in charge of the group was walking around and making sure everything was going well, the next he'd stopped in the middle of the yard only for his head to roll off, his body crumpling to the ground an instant later.

As they all stopped to gape at what had just happened a green hippo fell out of nowhere onto one of the soldiers standing guard by the cave entrance. It then let out a cry and bashed itself against another of the soldiers, launching him against the wall.

As this happened Lara stood up and fired a quick, well aimed burst at the nearest soldier, taking him out before he'd realized there was danger.

The Trinity agents began to panic, especially as more of their number kept dying to something invisible, men falling with lacerations or spikes buried inside their bodies. Within thirty seconds half of the soldiers were down. Some had begun to fire at the targets they could see, but the hippo appeared to be impervious to attacks.

As for Lara, the instant someone fired on her, Alice was there, parasol twirling, deflecting the bullets everywhere, and positioned so that Lara could continue to fire with only some minor adjustments in her stance.

Lara was amazed at how things were going. She remembered having to use her wits and having many close calls against even smaller forces of enemies, but now, with the backup she had, she was mowing through Trinity agents like she was on Easy mode in the video game starring her. The goons were disorganized and caught with their pants down, not having anticipated their intervention and thus not on alert.

She turned as she heard shouting coming from behind them in the temple once the noise of the battle faded. Obviously the gunfire had attracted the attention of the rest of the Trinity group that had been gathered at the entrance. As the last soldier fell, the surviving techs who hadn't fought back cowering under the surprisingly menacing gaze of Beast Boy, Lara turned to where she presumed Harry to be. "Harry, we need to block the temple, or we'll be swarmed beyond what even we can handle."

Harry flipped the hood off of his head five feet from the spot she'd been addressing, a teasing smile on his face. "I think I can handle that. Help BB keep the techs under control while I do that and I'll be right back to secure them."

As Lara moved to keep watch on their prisoners, Harry moved towards the entrances to the temple. There were multiple ones, which had helped the team evade notice, but meant he had more openings he needed to block. He cocked his head, considering how he'd go about it, before motioning with his hand, making a rock wall several feet thick rise from the ground, the obstruction too large to be dealt with by a breaching charge.

He quickly moved to the other openings to do the same. It was when he reached the last that he encountered trouble, almost taking a shotgun blast to the face. He barely managed to move back, keeping most of the force from hitting him, though it clipped his head, making him reel. He stumbled back, but still had the presence of mind to launch a blasting spell at his assailant, knocking him back with an unhealthy looking crater in his chest.

Harry shook his head to clear it as another Trinity soldier came around the corner and aimed his assault rifle at Harry's head, only to be stopped by the Vorpal Blade making its way into his throat, making him drop with a gurgle.

As Alice stepped back, ready for the next opponent to appear, Harry hurriedly summoned the last wall, blocking the way to any further enemies.

"Ugh…" Harry groaned as he focused on using his power to heal the small but irritating amount of damage to his head, needing to be at his best. "Thanks Alice. He amulets might stop bullets, but I've still got to at least listen to Newton, and a bunch of blows to the head will fuck anybody up."

Alice frowned. "Are you alright now?"

"Yeah, fine." He gave his head one last shake before making his way back to the others, Alice trailing behind him. Once he reached them he looked over the huddle of techs that were eyeing them warily. "Any trouble?"

"Nope." Beast Boy said. "One or two looked like they might try something, but they were convinced that wasn't the greatest idea." He turned to look at Harry. "Still, we can't just leave them here unsecured when we head in."

"True. I was thinking about knocking them all unconscious. What do you guys think?" Harry responded.

"A good first step." Lara said. "But we should do something to keep them from causing trouble if they happen to wake up for some reason."

Alice tilted her head. "Perhaps a container? Harry, could you perhaps create a cage to hold them as well?"

Harry nodded. "That's doable. Step back." As the others did so Harry began to walk amongst the group of Trinity techs, sending them into deep unconsciousness with taps to their head despite them cringing away. Then he grabbed a large stone and transfigured it into a cage that he levitated over the group before dropping it and sinking it into the ground, making sure they wouldn't be able to get out. "There. I think that'll do."

"At least till their friends manage to get here." Beast Boy agreed. "So, we should probably start making our way into the cave, right?"

The others nodded and the group began making their way to the entrance of the caves. Cracking more glow sticks the team carefully made their way in, wary in case of any more enemies that hadn't come out during the fight.

As they walked Lara studied the various carvings and other work that had been done, on occasion bringing up a small digital camera she'd thought to bring and taking a picture. "This place is fascinating. I can already see some mythological depictions that would make some noted scholars get into screaming matches." She said softly with a smile.

Alice smiled as well as she looked around curiously. "It's a pity that Trinity were the ones to find it. I imagine it would bring quite a bit of prestige to be the first to document it." She said, making Lara nod in agreement.

"Shh." Harry silenced them as he followed Beast Boy, who was back in dog form and growling softly. The girls immediately went quiet and began stepping more cautiously.

Around a nearby corner were a group of 7 soldiers in a wider section of tunnel. They were all relaxed and talking, one of them smoking a cigarette. Apparently they hadn't realized there'd been a problem outside. The group quickly took advantage of this fact using the same strategy as before, trapping their opponents in a killing field and taking them out before moving on.

They wandered through the extensive caverns for over an hour, occasionally encountering resistance from Trinity agents. Thankfully most of the traps had been disabled or triggered before they arrived by Trinity, as had been shown by the unfortunate who'd lost a leg, but they still had some close calls. At one point it was only Alice's reflexes that kept her from falling in a spike filled pit when the ground gave way below her, the others quickly helping pull her back.

Soon enough, however, they reached the end of the area that Trinity had explored and their pace slowed down considerably as they had to step lightly in case of any further traps and pitfalls. "At least there are no immortal guards here…" Lara murmured to herself as she remembered the Stormguard and the Athanatoi with anything but fondness.

After more close calls than they cared to count the reached a large chamber with a raised dais. Sunlight came in through a large hole in the roof, illuminating the chamber and reflecting off the walls, which glittered with what appeared to be crystals embedded amongst the ivy covering them. Beneath the hole, bathed in sunlight, was a golden lance, the tip seeming to be made up of some smooth, fiery red gemstone that reflected the light everywhere.

"Finally…" Harry said.

Lara frowned and looked around warily. Beast Boy noticed as he turned to her. "What's up, Lara?"

"I'm just expecting the other shoe to drop. There's no way it's this easy. There must be at least a group of specially trained monsters waiting to pounce on us." She said as her eyes darted around.

Alice quirked an eyebrow at her. "I think your previous adventures have skewed your perspective a bit, Lara."

"Knowing our luck, there's got to be something more to this." Harry said, agreeing with Lara as he cautiously moved towards the pedestal holding the lance.

They all tensed once he reached it, and he let out a breath before slowly and carefully lifting it up. They all froze once he'd picked it up completely, expecting some sort of hidden mechanism to unleash something upon them. After almost a minute of nothing happening they all let out a sigh before the others joined Harry on the platform.

"So…" Beast Boy began. "How does it work?"

Harry looked stumped. "I have no clue…" He looked at the lance and studied it. "Any ideas?"

"Maybe you just need to focus on where you want to go?" Alice suggested.

Harry thought for a moment, deciding on where he wanted to go, before focusing. The others stared at him as he narrowed his eyes, practically glaring at the lance in his hands for several minutes.

"…Yeah, I don't think that worked." Beast Boy said after several minutes of silence.

"Perhaps it works like your portals, Harry?" Lara asked. "Try opening a portal using the lance as a focus, see if that works."

"Alright, let's see…" Harry said as he did as suggested. The head of the lance began to glow with a wavering light like a flame before a beam escaped it, hitting the wall and spreading. The light formed a portal much like Harry's, except that instead of inky black it was clear like glass, allowing the other side to be seen.

The main living room of Titans Tower was visible, making Beast Boy grin wide, especially when he saw that it was occupied. "Guys!" He called, making Robin, Cyborg, Starfire and Raven turn to the portal, their eyes going wide.

"BB!?" Cyborg exclaimed in shock.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire cried joyously as she zoomed forward before bouncing off the portal with a small yelp.

Raven moved forward and eyed the portal. "Looks like this is either just a window or a one way portal." Then her lips quirked up into a smile. "Good to see you, Beast Boy. You too, Harry. You had everyone worried."

Harry grinned at seeing his teacher. "It's great to see you too, Raven. We have a lot to te-" He was interrupted by gunfire coming from the opening in the ceiling, making them duck as the Titans looked alarmed.

Lara turned her gaze upwards to see at least ten Trinity soldiers along the opening, firing down at the group. She hissed in pain as the bullets impacted her, knowing that she was going to be covered in bruises, assuming the protections didn't fail entirely and leave her full of holes. She quickly raised her rifle and fired up at the assailants, trying to at the least interrupt their fire.

Beast Boy yelped as he huddled against the wall near the portal Harry was keeping open. "Beast Boy, what's going on!?" Robin asked, his hand pressed against the portal before flinching as a bullet went through and hit the ground beside him, making him and Raven, as the squishier members of the team, take cover.

"Evil global religious group after artifact of power pissed we got here first!" BB explained quickly before turning once again into a lizard and hiding amongst the ivy on the wall.

Alice had her parasol up and was twirling it, mitigating the worst of the barrage aimed at her, though she winced as she felt shots hit her exposed legs. "Harry, we need to move back!" She began to back away towards the entrance tunnel when she saw another group of Trinity block her way, raising their weapons. With barely a thought she turned, parasol vanishing and hobby horse taking its place, which she slammed into the wall, making the tunnel cave in slightly and buying them time. "It won't be this way, though!"

"Get through the portal!" Raven called as she watched the group get attacked, the situation growing worse as the attackers began to fling grenades down at them.

"I second that motion!" Lara said as she began moving toward it.

Harry had kept the portal open without thinking much about it, focused on covering himself in a dome of darkness that protected him from the bullets falling like rain. "Alright, hurry through!"

The team quickly began to run for the portal, abandoning their offensive in favor of booking it to safety. As they approached Beast Boy appeared a few feet from where he'd been and began to haul ass as well. They were almost through when a bullet hit the tip of the lance in Harry's hands, breaking the end of it off. The light escaping it immediately changed to Harry's signature darkness, once again streaked with color, but the team didn't have any better options and rushed through as a series of explosions rang out behind them, bringing the roof down where'd they been. They all felt a sensation of weightlessness…

* * *

…before they dropped onto a hard metal floor, the air around them almost freezing, their bodies strangely light.

"Ugh… where the hell are we now…" Harry groaned, before freezing upon looking up to find the barrel of a futuristic looking rifle inches from his eye. He focused beyond them to see who was holding it.

He was a giant of a man, over seven feet tall. He wore advanced looking armor of a dull olive green, a helmet on his head with a golden faceplate obscuring his features. His grip on his weapon tightened as he seemed to stare into Harry's green eyes, everything about him radiating a quiet menace.

"Identify yourself. Who are you, and how did you get on this ship." The man growled.

Harry stared at the man for a few seconds before letting his head drop with a thump. "…Goddammit…"

* * *

 _ **You know, I'm getting irritated by getting delayed on my posting. I used to be able to crank a twice as long chapter in less time.**_

 _ **This time it was because I had a health scare. Thought I was having a heart attack, but apparently was a panic attack. That slowed things down.**_

 _ **Also, there's the simple fact that the Tomb Raider chapters have been fighting me. Saving Sam and making Lara part of the team was the main focus, other things weren't something I thought of much. It shows in this chapter, where I basically just tried to get it over with. Still, at least now it's done, Lara is a member, and we're at our next universe.**_

 _ **I'm pretty sure most of you will be able to guess what it is. :P**_

 _ **In happier news, we hit 500 reviews! Wooo!**_

 _ **Thanks so much guys, that's amazing. I never thought any of my stories would get that far when I started. Now let's work on getting to 1k!**_

 _ **Alright, I think that's it for now. Next should be the first chapter of my Zelda idea. If any of you are interested in that, give it a look when it goes up. I'll try to have it out by Friday, but if not, definitely next week.**_

 _ **Till next time, please review. Bye!**_


	22. Falling and Flailing

Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 was confused and wary. Cortana had just woken him up from cryo-sleep because the Forward Unto Dawn appeared to be in the process of being boarded. He'd grabbed Cortana and a weapon and begun trying to find out what was going on when a… portal of darkness streaked with color appeared in front of them. Out of the portal stumbled what appeared to be four humans, three of them adolescents (though one had an odd green pigmentation to his skin). He had immediately aimed his rifle at the last one to stumble out of the portal, who looked up and froze at the sight of the barrel of his MA5D Assault Rifle inches from his emerald green eye.

"Identify yourself. Who are you, and how did you get on this ship?" Chief growled threateningly. The Dawn was stranded in the middle of space, there should have been no way for any humans to arrive on it unless they were military personnel from a UNSC ship, something these four obviously weren't, if their attire was any indication. Not to mention that the Chief had never seen any tech that created portals like the one they'd come through.

The teenager stared up at him, letting Chief study him. He had odd tattoos on his relatively pale face, black lines that formed patterns and disappeared under his shirt. Then he let his head drop to the metal flooring with a thump even as he let go of the ancient looking spear in his hand. "…Goddammit…"

Chief tilted his head to the side. "Cortana, any ideas?"

"For once, Chief, no, I don't." The AI said, sounding puzzled. "The energy reading from that portal doesn't match anything in my database, and these obviously aren't UNSC or Covenant troops, even if they are armed. That's another thing, the weapons I'm seeing on this boy and the woman are positively ancient. They went out of style in the mid twenty first century. Why would attackers use weapons that wouldn't even make your shields notice? That's not even mentioning the lance, which looks more ceremonial than anything else."

Chief made a sound of agreement. None of the new arrivals appeared to be a threat to him. Still, their arrival was too coincidental. Especially when…

His thoughts were interrupted when the entire ship shook, an orange light passing through it with a disquieting noise. The green boy (which was pretty odd. Some sort of aesthetic paint?) sat up, looking around. "The hell was that?" He asked, slowly getting up. Chief tightened his grip on his rifle, but didn't do anything else.

"I don't know, Garfield." The girl with lone black hair said as she got up as well, eyeing him warily as he noted the name she'd provided. "Harry, where did your portal bring us?"

Chief turned back to the tattooed boy upon hearing the portal was his work. He was very interested in the answer.

"I… I have no clue." The boy said, sitting up while eyeing Chief warily. "I had set it to take us home, but then the lance got shot by those Trinity agents, and it appears to have, uh, redirected us."

"You can get us back though, right?" The last one, the oldest, asked anxiously as she got up, clutching her primitive assault rifle tightly and eyeing him just as warily as they others did.

'Harry' picked up the lance and stood up slowly, obviously trying to keep Chief from firing due to any sudden movements. "I'm not sure. I believe so, but…" The ship shook again and they all stopped talking or moving, looking around.

"Chief, the scans are becoming more frequent. I know this is fascinating and all, but I think the first priority is to determine what's going on with the ship. Once that's dealt with we can interrogate our new friends at length." Cortana chimed in.

"Agreed." Then he spoke so that his guests could hear him. "Alright, I don't know what's going on with you, but I need to deal with the ship first. Stay here. I can't protect you if you come with me." Done with his warning he moved passed the group, his rifle at the ready.

He'd made it to the end of the hallway before he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to find the group following him, the eldest having picked up another MA5D, adjusting her grip on it before looking up at him. The tattooed boy had an old revolver style pistol in his hand, the lance nowhere to be seen. The other two looked unarmed, and none of them wore any sort of armor.

He stared silently before speaking. "No."

The green boy, Garfield, shook his head. "Sorry dude, but we're better off coming with you and helping you than staying here. At least if we're with you we'll know what's going on rather than being here and unaware if something catastrophic is happening." He grinned, exposing longer and sharper than normal canines. "And we may not look like much now, but we can hold our own in a fight."

The Chief studied the group, but another blast of orange light cut that short. "…Fine."

"Chief?" Cortana asked, surprised.

"They've got a point about needing to be aware, and more fighters can't hurt. Besides, we don't have time to argue." He turned and resumed moving. "We're headed to the observation deck to figure out what's going." The others followed him.

Eventually the group reached the elevators. Cortana then spoke up, audible to everybody for the first time. "Chief, looks like the elevators are sealed tight."

The black haired girl looked around, curiously. "Who was that?"

"Cortana." Chief answered curtly as he slipped his fingers between the elevator doors and started prying them open with his enhanced strength.

"Wait, Chief!" Cortana called, but too late, as once the doors opened the air began rushing into the shaft, the group behind him crying out as they tried to keep from being blown away, a large box not being as lucky and flying over to slam into the Chief, launching him into the elevator shaft. He grabbed onto a rung of a ladder in the shaft, keeping himself from being forced further. "Some areas might have lost pressure…" Cortana finished, her voice exasperated.

"Noted." Chief said before turning to see how the others were faring now that they were in a lower pressure environment. He blinked in surprise as he saw that they were no worse for wear despite definitely not being in vacuum sealed suits. When he looked closely he saw that they had an odd sort of energy field, noticeable because of how it darkened them to his sight, like a dark film had been overlaid over them.

"What the… Is that some sort of energy shield? Where the hell did that come from." Cortana asked, puzzled. Chief just shook his head, putting it out of his mind for the moment, and began climbing the elevator shaft.

There were some close calls as the damaged ship began to fall apart, raining debris on them which was mysteriously redirected away by some invisible force, but Chief made it to the next floor and climbed out of the shaft. When he looked up he was surprised to see an Elite stalk out of the smoke caused by the minor fires, activating an energy sword and raising it to slice into him. Chief quickly grabbed the alien's arm, stopping the blade, then punched it before snapping its neck, letting it fall down the elevator shaft.

Garfield, the first one out of the shaft (which was odd, as Chief was sure he had been the third one climbing up) burst out. "What the hell was that?"

Chief ignored him, though he did note it was odd that the boy didn't know what an Elite was after decades of war, and focused on Cortana. "I thought we had a truce with the Covenant." He said.

"A lot can happen in four years." She said with an audible shrug. "But you can bet he's not alone."

Chief nodded and made his way forward more carefully now as the last of the others climbed out of the shaft.

Slowly the group moved towards the observation deck, their footsteps ringing out on the metal deck. Chief stopped when something changed, however. He experimentally took a step forward, but didn't hear a sound. It wasn't like when he was in a null atmosphere. Even then he could hear the sounds through his armor. There was simply… nothing.

He turned to stare at the four behind him, Harry smirking at him and motioning for him to keep moving, his revolver in his right hand. Chief stared for a moment longer before doing so, turning to continue.

They reached the observation deck to find Covenant troops wandering the area, the blast shields down and hiding the view of the outside. Chief went up to the observation controls, finding an Elite standing with its back to him, focusing on the controls. He quickly attacked it before it could react, killing it with quick, economical motions.

Unfortunately, one of the grunts below had noticed and cried out a warning, pointing up at him. The group quickly took cover as plasma started flying. Chief prepared himself to fight while protecting the other humans with him.

Before he could, however, the woman leaned out of cover, firing the rifle with the accuracy one would expect of an experienced marine. One of the grunts, who was prepping a plasma grenade, screamed in shock as it died, dropping the grenade which went off, killing another two grunts.

Harry leaned out and aimed his revolver, the firearm barking twice, taking the top of a grunt's head off. The most shocking even, however, was Garfield jumping out of cover and down on a group of grunts, his form shifting into that of a green tiger midway down. The grunts screamed in fright and tried to run away, but the tiger was merciless, pouncing on them and savaging them with fangs and claws.

"…What the hell did I just see?" Cortana asked incredulously.

Chief didn't respond, automatically returning fire at a grunt that had shot at him while he was looking elsewhere, taking his shields down by half. He chided himself for getting distracted and mopped up the last couple of grunts he could see.

He heard the sound of an enemy moving up the steps behind him and turned, ready to fire, only to stop when the black haired girl made what looked to be an enormous marble hobby horse appear in her hands, bringing it down on the hapless grunt, who screamed before being crushed.

The deck went silent before Cortana spoke 'out loud'. "That's the last of them. Now, override the blast shield so we can see what we're up against."

Chief quickly made his way to the control panel and pressed the required controls to remove the blast shield, turning to see what was going on. Harry stepped beside him, eyes fixed on the opening shield.

As the shield slowly rose, Cortana continued speaking. "The good news is that these Covenant aren't outfitted like standard military. It's possible we just came across a rogue salvage ship."

As the shield rose completely Chief and the rest of the group stared.

"Or not…" Garfield said nervously as he saw the multitude of ships surrounding what appeared to be a large planet.

"We… might have stumbled on an entire Covenant fleet…" Cortana said slowly.

Beside him, Harry sighed wearily. "This is going to be one of those days, isn't it…?

* * *

Lara wasn't showing it, but she was close to having a nervous breakdown. She was far, far away from home, with the method of returning uncertain, and now she was in space fighting aliens.

As she watched the breathtaking view out the viewing window, she couldn't help but feel slightly terrified. She'd promised Sam she'd come back, and now she was in space. She gripped her new rifle tightly, hands sweaty with worry. Then Alice's slim hand rested on one of hers. Lara turned to look at the girl questioningly.

"It'll be alright, Lara." Alice said softly. "We'll get you back home to Sam. There's nothing to worry about."

Lara almost began laughing hysterically. "Nothing to worry about? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Alice smiled gently. "I trust in our friends. They'll get us out of this. We'll just need to support them till they can do so." She said, her calm demeanor helping Lara settle down.

"How are you so calm right now? We're _in space!_ " She asked incredulously.

Alice shrugged. "I have seen much odder things, Lara."

"Ladies, focus!" Harry said, making them look to see that two ships were landing on either side of the observation deck, disgorging troops. Immediately the girls got ready to fight.

A wave of grunts and elites came from the tubes connected to the troop transports, and the group immediately began to fight.

Lara focused on moving and shooting, treating this like any other firefight she'd been through… even if it was against aliens.

Beast Boy was a constant diversion, switching forms quickly, evading fire by becoming something innocuous before transforming into something to attack with, then shifting back, keeping the enemies disoriented as he took them out.

Harry fired piercing shots from his revolver, but with his free hand he was casting spells, spikes of metal shooting out of the ground to pierce his enemies. The area he was focusing on looked like a tribute to Vlad the Impaler.

As usual, Alice was fighting defensively. She had her parasol at the ready, which thankfully appeared capable of deflecting the energy shots the aliens were launching at them. Whenever they got in close she'd smash them with her hobby horse, breaking their bodies with surprising strength for her delicate seeming form.

The man they'd thrown their lot in with, the 'Chief', was fighting like an experienced soldier. Nothing seemed to be able to escape his focus, and even when he was hit nothing seemed to happen, what appeared to be an energy shield protecting him.

Before long all the enemies had been eliminated. "We need to get off this ship." The Chief said as he reloaded his weapon.

"We've got bigger problems!" The voice of the woman, Cortana, that came through his armor's speakers said. The ship shook as she continued. "We've got a cruiser on an intercept course! Head for the elevator banks."

As the Chief did as told and made his way back the way they came Lara glanced at her friends. Harry nodded and followed after the armored man, the others quickly doing the same.

"Didn't the ship's sensors say we still had weapon systems online?" The Chief asked Cortana as he walked into a still functioning elevator, the others following him in.

"Yes, but since the ship was torn in half we can't access the weapons stations." She responded as the elevator made its way up. "We'll have to fire them manually from the outer hull."

After quite a bit of walking and a lot of fighting they finally reached the airlocks. While the soldier wasn't looking Harry waved his hand over them, reinforcing… whatever It was he'd done to protect them from vacuum. The Chief stared at them (at least, she thought he did) as they entered the airlock, but apparently decided not to say anything, simply hefting a scoped rifle he'd picked up, ready for a fight as the airlocks cycled. Instead he handed them earpieces so they could stay in contact, though how they were supposed to work while in vacuum she had no idea. Lara then felt a thrill of terror as the air left the airlock, part of her saying she was going to die horrible due to being exposed to the vacuum of space.

"The auxiliary launch station should be to your left out of the airlocks." Cortana said, showing that somehow the earpieces still worked. Then the man paused in his step as something happened, Cortana's voice coming out garbled and sounding frayed. "You'll have to prime the launch for ignition."

"Cortana!?" He asked, concern in his voice as Lara and the others glanced at each other.

"It's nothing." She said, still sounding garbled and staticy. "Just get to the launch station."

Before anything else could be said, the outer airlock door opened and Lara drew in a deep breath despite knowing that all the air had already left the airlock.

"Um, I'm sorry, did I miss orbiting a Forerunner planet at some point?" Cortana asked, sounding normal now. Lara looked up to see what she was talking about only to see that the entire planet they were orbiting seemed to be made entirely of metal, her breath catching in her throat.

"Holy shit…" Beast Boy said softly, staring at the mass of metal filling their view.

"One thing at a time." The Chief said, bringing his rifle up and beginning to fire at aliens disembarking from troop transports. Lara and Harry quickly did the same, taking several of the enemy out.

They fought their way across the hull towards the launch station, Beast Boy and Alice taking care of anybody that got too close. However, they were getting bogged down by the sheer amount of enemies wandering along the hull. "Chief, you need to get to the launch station!" Cortana said urgently.

The Chief increased his pace while being careful to maintain his firing discipline.

Finally, they reached the launch station and the Chief began tapping on the screen. "Launch initiated!" Cortana called, some small triumph in her voice as they watched as a missile tube opened and the long cylindrical weapon emerged. However, it suddenly stopped, something catching on it. "Oh great, the blast door's jammed!" Cortana said in aggravation. "The missile won't fire until it's cleared!"

"I'll get it!" Beast Boy called as he jumped down, quickly shifting his form into a dog and beginning to make his way to the missile tube, only to stop and scramble for cover as two new troop transports lowered themselves to disgorge more enemies. The others quickly jumped down to assist him, the low gravity being generated by the hull of the ship making their landing smooth and painless. Then they began to fight in earnest.

They fought their way to the tube. Lara had a close call when one of the tall aliens attacked her with what looked like an energy sword. She managed to dodge as Harry fired an energy bullet into the things brain, killing it and letting it float away.

Beast Boy managed to reach the blast door and began pushing it while the others covered him, shifting his form into a gorilla for strength. He finally managed to get it into place after some struggling, the missile beginning to leave the tube, firing itself at the large ship they could all see in front of them. It slammed into the ship, breaking it into pieces with an explosion. Beast Boy shifted back to human form and cheered.

Their celebration was short lived however. The orange light that had been sweeping the ship before radiated from the planet in a tight beam that landed on the Chief, covering his form. "Chief?" Cortana exclaimed with concern as the light disappeared.

"The Covenant weren't the ones scanning us…" The Chief said before stopping as the planet before them began to… open up. Enormous metal plates the size of countries parted, a bright white light emanating from the interior, almost blinding them. Then it began to suck things into it.

"So, _now_ can we worry about the giant metal planet?" Cortana asked. They watched as the light continued dragging more things in. "It's using a gravity well to pull things inside the surface!" She exclaimed. "Everyone, get inside to the escape pods!" Everybody turned and ran, following the Chief, trusting him to know where to go. "We've got to hurry. Once we cross the dome's event horizon, its atmosphere is going to tear us apart!"

"Where are the closes escape pods." Chief asked.

"Aft vehicle bay." Cortana responded.

"Will the pods survive atmospheric entry!?" Harry asked as he ran.

"They will." Chief said confidently.

They quickly entered the airlock that the Chief had guided them to, waiting anxiously for the re-pressurization to finish. They ran when the doors opened, and Lara's heart was hammering in her chest. They flew through the ship as it broke apart, ignoring any aliens in the way, focused entirely on making it to the escape pods.

An explosion almost took out Alice, but Harry managed to pull her away in time, and the floor gave out from under Beast Boy's feet at one point, but he turned into a bird and gave himself enough airtime to avoid dropping to the burning floor below.

"Just through that door!" Cortana shouted as they approached a set of double doors after almost being crushed by some cars in the vehicle bay. The Chief was about to open them when they were ripped out of their frames, a gash in the far wall ripping open into a gaping hole that took what looked like the scape pods with it. The group screamed as they were almost sucked out into space, barely managing to catch themselves on various things.

It wouldn't last long, however. Everything was giving way due to the pressure of the gravity well, and before long the Chief lost his grip and went flying out. Lara whimpered as she used all her strength to keep hold of the remains of the railing she was clutching, but it wasn't enough, and soon she went flying out with a scream.

Her scream was cut short as she slammed into some debris, the air being driven out of her lungs. Thankfully it didn't seem like anything was broken, the protective aura Harry had put on her doing much more than she expected. But she was falling towards the planet, and she knew she was going to die.

She began to cry. Normally she'd be able to grit her teeth and force herself through whatever crisis she was in, but right now, there was simply nothing she could do to avert her end. She thought of Sam, alone and waiting for her to return. The thought made her whimper.

Suddenly she felt a strong arm around her waist and turned to see Harry clutching her tight, Beast Boy and Alice clutching onto his other arm. His eyes were exuding darkness, and he said something she couldn't catch before an orb of darkness formed around the group, obscuring the blinding light they were falling towards.

He looked at her, and smiled. "It'll be okay."

And, somehow, she believed him.

* * *

 ** _Yay, managed to get a chapter out when I meant to! Woot!_**

 ** _So, as you can tell, we're in the Halo-verse, during the events of Halo 4. I know that isn't a popular decision. A lot of people wanted Halo 2 so they could deal with the Flood. However, long term, Halo 4 serves my purposes better. It gives me the opportunity to implement something that will be very useful going forward._**

 ** _I've mentioned many times that this section of the fic is going to piss some people off. That's because I plan on introducing mystical elements into the Halo universe. I don't mean putting Harry in there and letting him do his thing, that's obvious. I mean something that will be native to this version of the Halo-verse, just unknown till I introduce it. I tried finding another way of getting what I want to do done, but this just makes the most sense, story wise. I hope you're willing to stick with it anyway._**

 ** _Our time in this universe isn't planned to be long, though we all know what happens to plans. I've never played Guardians, as I don't have an XBone, so nothing from that will really be implemented, though I've been checking the wiki in case there's anything of use. Not really interested now that I have, though. Making Cortana evil, just… no. Though the actress does play Salem on RWBY…_**

 ** _Oh, right, one thing some people complained about from the previous chapter is that the Lance broke too easily. They think that as an object of power, it should be impossible to damage. Uh… no. That's not how things work. Hell, the Divine Source in Rise of the Tomb Raider was destroyed by throwing it on the floor._**

 ** _Powerful objects being impossible to destroy except by special means has been a trope since Tolkien's Ring, and so everybody just assumes that's how it's supposed to be. But, people, glass cannons are a thing. Yes, I admit that the lance being struck by a bullet at that exact moment is a bit contrived, but so is a lot of fiction. The idea that the lance is bulletproof has no real rational basis, beyond maybe the fact that it was supposed to belong to a god. But even divine weapons can break. That's been shown in mythology._**

 ** _Anyway, to those interested, my Zelda fic is up. I know it isn't a hugely popular fandom anymore, but I hope It entertains. Leave me a review telling me what you think of it._**

 ** _I… think that's it. Let me know what you thought of the chapter with a review. I'm hoping to get to 600 soon. We'll see. Till next time. Bye._**


	23. Descents and Landings

Alice was the first one to wake.

She groaned and opened her eyes slowly, the scent of something burning filling her nose and the sounds of fires crackling the main thing that was audible. With a moan she pushed herself up, looking around.

All around her lay metallic debris, mangled and burning, filing craters punched into the ground from their fall. It took her a moment to remember what happened, then she realized they had likely landed on the planet among the remains of the ships that had fallen with them.

Dazedly standing up she looked around, searching for her friends. Not spotting anyone she despaired briefly, terrified she was once again alone and friendless.

 _"None of that, now."_ Cheshire whispered in her mind. _"You have only just woken up. You cannot give up the search before you have even begun."_

Alice took a deep breath to calm herself, before coughing due to the smoke in the air. "Yes… Yes, you're right, cat. Now I just need to figure out a way to find them." Thinking she came upon an idea and concentrated on projecting something.

Soon, standing before her was Cheshire. He looked around himself before turning to stare at Alice with displeasure which contrasted oddly with his ever present grin. "I am not a hound, Alice."

"No, but your senses are much better than my own. You have a better chance of finding them than I do." She crossed her arms. "Besides, the faster we find them, the faster we can leave and make our way back to Lara's home."

Cheshire's tail swished from side to side before he turned and began walking after a quick look around. Alice followed closely, hand flexing as she prepared to project a weapon at a moment's notice.

The first thing they came across after a minute or so of walking was the corpse of one of the small aliens they had been fighting before. It was lying in a pool of its own blood, limbs splayed grotesquely, one of its arms missing entirely. Alice grimaced, but moved on.

Soon enough they found Garfield laying sprawled on top of what looked to have been part of the hull of the ship they'd been on before. Cheshire easily reached the boy and gave him a whap on the head, making Garfield startle awake. He let out a small yell when he saw Cheshire's face close to his and tumbled down off the debris onto the ground, groaning.

Alice's lips twitched and she shot Cheshire a look, the large cat looking not the least bit contrite. "Are you alright, Garfield?" She asked kindly.

"Just… peachy." He groaned before pushing himself up, dusting himself off as he looked around. "Whoa, we made it onto the planet?"

"It seems so." Alice said. She turned to the cat. "Thank you for your help, Cheshire."

Cheshire grumbled. "You're lucky I like you, Alice." Then he was gone.

Alice turned back to Garfield. "Now then, we should find the others, shouldn't we?"

Garfield wordlessly turned into a basset hound and began to sniff around, searching.

It was over five minutes before they found Lara. She was laying partially hidden by some tall grass, limp but breathing evenly.

It took some time to wake her, but eventually she opened her eyes and sat up with a groan, holding her head. "What happened? I feel like that time me and Sam went to Glasgow…"

Garfield raised an eyebrow, amused. "And just what did you get up to, young lady?" He grinned.

Lara gave him a glare before looking around at the devastation. "Oh… right…" She looked at Alice and Garfield. "Where's Harry?"

"Dunno, we found you first." Garfield offered Lara his hand. She took it and hauled herself to her feet.

"Alright, then that means we'll need to find him. Hopefully he'll be able to get us back to my world now that we don't have to worry about a spaceship possibly falling apart around us while some futuristic soldier aims a gun at us." Lara stretched, wincing slightly as she aggravated some bruising.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Alice said. "He still has the lance in his enchanted bag. We just need to find someplace safe where he can take the time to use it."

Garfield once again transformed into a hound and sniffed around, looking for Harry's scent as they began walking amongst the debris. He was occasionally sidetracked by the scents of the various dead aliens scattered around, some slowly being consumed by the fires.

As they walked Alice and Lara began gathering anything that seemed useful. Lara managed to find another rifle like the one she had been using before along with an extra clip, while Alice picked up some grenades, just in case they might be useful.

Harry was the one that it took them the longest to find. They actually passed his position once, not seeing him before they doubled back when Garfield caught his scent. The girls became alarmed when he began sniffing under some debris and they spotted one of Harry's hands peeking out from under it. Garfield immediately shifted to a gorilla and began lifting the debris off of Harry's form, the girls helping by removing the smaller pieces from the pile.

Thankfully when they reached Harry he did not appear to have been crushed or otherwise severely injured, just pinned down by the debris. He groaned and opened his eyes blearily when they woke him. "Ugh, my head is killing me. What the hell happened?"

"We hit the ground kind of hard." Garfield said somewhat sardonically.

Harry blinked before his eyes widened when he remembered what happened. "Oh, yeah. Definitely not trying unassisted reentry again…"

Garfield snorted in amused agreement, but Lara spoke with some urgency. "Harry, can you get us back to my world now?"

Harry nodded. "I don't see why not. We should move somewhere with a little less fire and smoke, though." He got up and looked around. "Anybody got a clue of which way to go?"

Garfield put his finger in his mouth before pulling it out and holding it up for a moment. "… alright, wind is blowing… I'll tentatively say north, which means that's the direction the smoke will be going. So we should probably go south to get out of it."

Harry looked at Alice and Lara before nodding in agreement. "Sounds like the best plan we've got at the moment, so let's get a move on."

The group began to move, Harry taking Lara's weapon and pulling the clip out before making it glow black and putting it back in. "There. The ammo should replicate, giving you what basically amounts to an infinite ammo cheat. It won't last forever, but at least a good while." He gave her the rifle back.

"Helpful." Lara said as she held it securely, the weapon a bit larger than she was used to but not much of an issue.

After about fifteen minutes of walking they finally made it out of the debris field, the smoke lightening and letting them breathe easier. Wordlessly agreeing to continue till they found a better spot they continued walking, the sky lightening the further they got from the smoke. Which confused them. Weren't they under the metallic shell covering the planet? Was it a very convincing artificial sun? It wouldn't surprise them much, as whoever created the planet was obviously unbelievably advanced.

Finally, they reached a cliff and stopped to gape at the sight before them.

The had reached what appeared to be a large valley, but what had caught their attention was the towers. A group of enormous structures of a whitish metal hovering above installations built among the green grasses of the valley, reaching high into the clouds and bobbing gently in place.

"Whoa…" Garfield said eloquently.

"Indeed." Alice said as she took it all in. It was truly an amazing sight, like something out of a fantastic novel.

After a few more minutes of admiration Lara turned to Harry. "Alright, think you can try to open a portal back home from here?"

Harry reached into his bag and began to pull the lance out of it. "No harm in trying." Once he pulled it out he brought the tip up to study the damage caused by the errant bullet.

The gemstone at the head of the lance was damaged and cracked, the very tip shot off. Not only that, but it had changed color, now mostly a milky white with only hints of the original fiery red at the edges.

Frowning he hoped that the status of the gem wouldn't impede its function. Aiming the lance at one of the rock walls in front of him he focused on what it had been like to open the portal using it before. Unlike before, however, the head of the lance began to glow brightly before there was a loud bang and Harry yelped, letting go of the lance as he was launched backwards like he'd been shot out of a canon, impacting the wall behind him with a thud before bouncing off and dropping to the ground, where he lay groaning in pain.

The others quickly hurried to him, checking him over. "Harry, are you alright?" Alice asked worriedly.

A moan was her answer before Harry shakily began pushing himself up. "The fuck just happened?" He asked once he managed to get himself into a sitting position.

Garfield moved over to the lance and studied it. "The gem at the head is completely white now." He tentatively picked it up as he looked it over more carefully. "Some sort of magical backfire?" He asked.

Harry shook his head to clear it before standing up. "It felt like I was trying to… force water into a balloon that couldn't take any more? Rather than explode it just released the excess in a single burst. Something like that."

Lara bit her lip. "Does that mean it can't be used anymore?" The thought worried her for obvious reasons.

Harry carefully took the lance from Garfield and studied it. "You're right BB, the gem is completely white now. Hmm…" He scratched his chin. "Maybe the gem is what controls the lance's abilities, and it needs time to recover after each attempt? It might be that we need to wait till the lance is completely back to its previous appearance before I can use it again…"

Lara clenched her fists. "Can you get us back without it?"

Harry considered that before extending his hand, focusing on creating a portal like the one that took them from Alice's world to Lara's. That's when he was hit by a flash of insight that he didn't recognize but knew was correct and stopped. He furrowed his brow and crossed his arms in thought.

That thought that just hit him, it was both his, and not. It was like something he knew told him something important. Like a friend had whispered the answer to a question he wasn't aware he was asking. Still, he knew he could trust it, for some reason. He'd need to look into it further in the future. In the meantime…

"Harry?" Lara asked tentatively.

He turned to look at her before sighing and shaking his head. "As far as I can tell, I can, but it wouldn't lead to Earth, and I couldn't pinpoint it to your world. If I tried it'd send us somewhere close to where we are, spacially, in a random universe. Not a good idea if we don't know if this manmade planet exists wherever we'd end up. The lance doesn't seem to have that limitation, so if we want to leave this universe we'll need to use it."

Lara slumped. "Damn…"

Garfield patted her back before looking seriously at them. "Alright then. We don't know how long it'll be till the lance starts working again, so we need to figure out what we're doing in the meantime."

"I say we head for those towers." Alice said, pointing to the hovering artifacts. "There might be something useful. If nothing else, they might give us shelter while we wait for the lance to finish whatever it is it's doing."

Harry considered it before nodding. "Sounds like a plan. We really don't have any other options beyond sit here and wait, and we don't know what's on this planet with us. Best to find out rather than be caught by surprise.

They all nodded in agreement before Harry grabbed the lance and placed it back in his bag. Then they began making their way along a path down to the valley floor.

* * *

After a little over half an hour of walking they came across what appeared to be a crashed vehicle transport from the Forward Unto Dawn. Many of the vehicles they found were damaged in some fashion, but they found a group of what appeared to be small crosses between ATVs and motorbikes that seemed to be in good condition. Deciding that it was preferable to having to walk the entire way to the towers, the group decided to commandeer two of them. Lara got in the driver's seat of one of them, Harry sitting in the other. They took ten minutes to familiarize themselves with the machines' controls before they felt confident enough to begin driving in earnest, which prompted Alice to sit in the passenger seat behind Lara, Beast Boy turning into a bird to fly alongside them.

Now they were making better time to the towers, having begun slowly at first, then sped up as the drivers became more confident in what they were doing. Soon they were speeding along the lush grass as they approached the nearest tower, Alice holding onto Lara with all her might.

When they finally reached the tower Beast Boy was waiting for them, sitting comfortably on some of the metal structures at the base of the towers, kicking his legs as he passed the time in thought. Once they'd turned the ATVs off and gotten off the machines he hopped to his feet and approached them. "I did a flyby of the place, checking for any issues or unfriendlies. Place is abandoned and running on automatic, as far as I can tell. And it hasn't tried to roast me, so…" He shrugged.

"Alright, good. You gone inside yet?" Harry nodded when Beast Boy shook his head. "Alright, probably for the best. Let's go in, see if there's anything helpful. Be on your guard though. For all we know we simply haven't tripped the automatic defenses yet. Last thing we need is to get turned into barbecue."

Harry and Lara hefted their weapons as Beast Boy turned into a panther, walking carefully, all his senses on alert. They didn't end up finding anything, and any machinery was beyond their understanding beyond the very basics. The last thing they wanted was to blow the planet up by accident, so they avoided messing with anything.

"I think we should rest now that we're sure nothing is going to attack us out of nowhere." Lara said once they'd look through the almost silent corridors of the installation. "I know that I'm still hurting from our landing, and I'm pretty hungry. We should take advantage of the peace while we can."

Beast Boy's stomach rumbled loudly, and he chuckled sheepishly. "Sounds good to me." He said. "Though we should probably have guard shifts, just in case. I can take first shift after we all have something to eat."

Harry and Alice had no complaints, so the group looked for a good, defensible room where they could rest, Harry pulling sleeping bags and some food out of his bag once they'd picked a spot. They all ate a simple meal that they'd prepared for their time in the Indian jungle before they each went to bed tiredly, Beast Boy turning into a dog and laying on the floor by the door, relaxed yet ready for anything.

The first shift passed uneventfully, and soon Beast Boy lay curled up and sleeping soundly as Lara sat with her back to the wall, rifle in hand just in case. She was close to dozing when she heard something, perking up. She held her breath, listening intently, only to hear the tapping on metal on metal. She tightened her grip on her weapon, and was about to wake the others when the tapping stopped. She watched the door, her entire body tense, but it never opened, and she didn't hear anything else. Even so, she was unable to relax for the rest of her shift.

A bit later Harry sat in her place as she fitfully tried to sleep again, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he focused on the earpiece in his hand. The communicators that the Chief had given them were all busted to varying degrees. The one he held was the most intact, and he was seeing if he might be able to repair it enough to possibly connect to the soldier and his assistant to get some help and information if needed.

Not taking any chances he pulled out his wand for the first time in a while to help with his fine control. The Deathly Hallow felt both cool and warm as he held it, and he briefly studied it once again. He remembered grabbing it without thinking, just trying to keep it out of Voldemort's hands. Now, however, he remembered the story that Dumbledore told him, along with what he learned from the novels based on his life, and he wondered what it truly meant that he now had all three Hallows in his possession.

He rolled his shoulders back as he returned his focus to the little gadget, though he briefly thought he saw a woman in the corner of his eye. Nobody was there when he glanced over though, so he ignored it. Focusing on the earpiece he used a very low powered repairing spell on it, trying to keep from pumping too much energy in and damaging it even more than before.

Slowly the cracks in the plastic shell mended, and he could feel the minute vibrations of its internal components shifting around inside. He kept it up till it stopped, nothing else happening to the small item. Putting the wand back in his bag he tentatively placed the earbud in his ear and flicked it on.

For a long moment there was only silence, but then a static filled voice came through.

"Repeat, Forwa- *szzt* Dawn, keep transmitting on this *szzt* -ency. Helm, increase spe-"

"Negative, Infinity!" Came Cortana's voice, less staticy than the other. "Keep away from the planet!"

There was no answer to Cortana's message, and Harry's eyebrows shot up. It sounded as though there was another ship getting close to the planet, and if their experiences when doing the same said anything, that wasn't a good thing. Unless Cortana could get through to them, it sounded like they were about to get company.

He was about to wake the others to let them know what he learned when he heard a high, hissing wail that froze him in place. Lara bolted up, eyes wide, and turned to Harry, who looked back before bringing a finger to his lips. Slowly he reached over to wake Beast Boy, Lara doing the same with Alice.

Before long the sleeping bags were stowed and all four were ready for whatever they'd find. Harry reached forward to open the door, only for it to burst open on its own and for something to slam into Harry, knocking him back.

Whatever it was, it was humanoid, with a whitish silver armor that covered its body, the upper part bulky and making its head appear recessed. Its upper limbs were spindly, ending in what looked like a mix between guns and blades. The entire form was lit with a yellow orange light.

The thing was on top of Harry, pinning him down, and even as the others brought their weapons up, or shifted, in Beast Boy's case, the thing's helmet opened up, revealing what appeared to be a human skull composed of that same orange light, which screeched at him before it brought a weapon up and prepared to stab down at him.

It was interrupted when Lara began to fire at it, unable to possibly miss from that range. It gave an almost electronic sounding screech and moved away, bringing its limbs up, light beginning to glow at the ends.

Before it could fire whatever it was preparing Alice smashed it with the hobby horse with all her might, leaving a dent in its armor. It turned to her before a green tiger jumped on its back, roaring as Lara resumed firing whenever she was sure she wouldn't hit her friends. Soon enough, the thing died, dissipating in a sort of digital mist that was pulled together into an orb of light before disappearing.

The group stared at when the thing had been, breathing heavily, before Alice reached down and helped pull Harry up. "Are you okay, Harry?"

"Fine." Harry said as he felt his chest. "It didn't do any actual damage beyond maybe some minor bruising. Thanks for the save guys."

"We need to figure out what's going on." Beast Boy said seriously. "That thing didn't come out of nowhere. We need to get outside, too. Fighting in these close quarters when we have no idea what we're facing isn't a good idea. Besides, I'm at my best in wide spaces."

Lara nodded. "Agreed. Let's get out of here."

The quartet began making their way out of the installation, though they ran into a few more of the things before they reached the outside, some of which weren't as bulky but had a sort of hovering drone that provided shields and could attack as well. They all found it rather aggravating.

They finally made it outside and made their way to the ATVs before they were under attack again, this time by feline seeming robots with insectoid heads. The things flanked and pounced at them along with coming equipped with guns on their backs, making them irritating to deal with.

It was as they finished dispatching the last of the cat-bots that they heard a rumbling whistle. Beast Boy, having the best hearing of the four, was the first to turn to the sound, only to have his eyes widen as he saw what looked like an enormous ship dropping in a barely controlled descent. The group watched as it fell and hit with the ground, making them feel the tremor of the impact even from as far as they were.

"…Oh yeah, I forgot all about that." Harry said, a touch sheepishly.

* * *

The Master Chief was having a bad day. After landing on the planet he'd been told that Cortana was essentially dying, then while trying to get in contact with the UNSC ship that had found their mayday signal had apparently released some sort of Forerunner criminal, and now he was fighting to make his way to the fallen ship that had been dragged into the planet accompanied by a group of marines and SPARTAN-IVs through an enemy force composed of Forerunner constructs and Covenant forces.

He climbed into the Scorpion tank in front of him, relieved to have some armor to help with the assault, which was getting worse the further they went. The enemy obviously wanted to deal with the UNSC Infinity quickly.

"Another fine mess, huh Chief?" Cortana said. "What do you think we'll need to do to earn some shore leave?"

"Save the galaxy again." Chrief said drily as he made sure the troops with him were secure on top of the armor over the treads before beginning to move the Scorpion forward, Cortana linking with the tank's systems to improve its capabilities. Chief briefly squashed the worry of her having another episode while in control of the guns. He trusted her.

They were almost at the Infinity, blasting their way through Wraith tanks and dropships full of enemies as the troops dealt with the infantry, when the enemy apparently had enough playing around.

In front of them were three Wraiths bombarding the Infinity. They turned at the Scorpion's approach, and the tank was many things, but agile it was not. To make matters worse, two dropships came down to add their firepower and troops to the assault. Chief immediately aimed the main cannon at the closest Wraith and fired even as the marines and SPARTANs hitching a ride bailed out to try and get away and into position to deal with the Covenant troops being unloaded by the dropships.

He let Cortana handle firing at the Wraiths as he focused on trying to avoid as many plasma mortar shots as possible. He managed to get out of the way of two, but the third hit the front right treads, mangling them and leaving the tank helpless against the next barrage. They paid for it dearly though, as the Wraith Cortana had been aiming at burst into flames and dropped to the ground. Cortana was just turning the cannon to aim at another, hoping to get one last shot off, when it too burst into flames, the nearby marine with a rocket launcher on her shoulder showing what had caused it.

"Time to go!" Cortana shouted as the last Wraith launched a plasma mortar, aiming for the cockpit of the Scorpion. Chief quickly jumped out of it and launched himself off the tank just as the plasma hit, destroying the tank with a small explosion. Quickly taking his rifle off his back he began to fire at the surrounding Covenant.

Two enemy tanks may have been eliminated, but things were still dicey, the dropships having uncharacteristically stayed in the area to harrass the humans with their turrets. Chief was just trying to think of something he could do to get rid of them when a lance of what looked like darkness given physical shape speared through one of the dropships, making it drop on top of the troops it had unloaded in a fiery heap.

Chief looked in the direction that had come from to find the form of the boy who'd been on the Dawn, Harry, flanked by the other three, who were proceeding to attack the suddenly panicking Covenant. Even as he watched, Harry lifted his hand, pointing at the remaining dropship, and another lance of darkness left his fingers to hit the desperatly evading troop transport.

"...Alright, seriously, what the hell is up with those kids?" Cortana asked incredulously.

Chief walked over to the newly arrived group as the last Wraith exploded thanks to another rocket from the marine. Harry turned to the Chief and smiled.

"Are we late to the party, Chief?" He asked with a smirk on his tattooed face.

Chief adjusted his hold on his weapon. "Right on time."

* * *

 _ **Finally finished this fucking chapter. It fought me, it really did, especially in the beginning. I hope the quality didn't suffer too much.**_

 ** _Now, first thing's first. We hit 600 reviews! Yay! You all have no idea what it means to me that we've reached such a milestone. I'm looking forward to getting the number even higher._**

 ** _Now then, about this chapter. I know a complaint people are going to have is that the limits and rules for dimensional travel are a bit contrived. And I'll admit, they kinda are. Problem is that this is, being something I agonized over for a while, the way of doing it that made the most sense to me with the world and rules I've established previously and that I have planned for the future. This would be much simpler if I wasn't using a fantasy element for the dimensional travel. If I could make it a Sliders situation this would be much easier. Please, bear with that little bit of awkwardness._**

 ** _Since some people have been asking: Yes, the team will be picking up some stuff in the Halo-verse. I intend for almost every universe they visit to give them something of use. Though I'll admit, one or two are simply included for the lulz._**

 ** _Speaking of lulz, I was reading some reaction fics that I really like when I thought I'd say that if there's anybody that wants to do a fic with, say, the HP characters reacting to my fic (or something similar for my other fics), let me know and we can work something out. I'd really like to see something like that. My only hard rule for it would be no bashing. the rest we can work out._**

 ** _Now, onto something important (to me, at least). I now have a Pat A Ron. I'm having some money trouble, mainly because my computer of nine years is about dead, but also some medical bills. So I decided to do something I'd debated on for a while and set it up. Just look me up with '/athanmortis' at the end of the usual address. Anything you can spare is much appreciated. Of course, I don't expect you to do it without incentives._**

 ** _Inspired by what Vimesenthusiast does, I'm setting it up so that you can vote on what I write if you donate, with each dollar being a vote. You can choose from a list of stories that will change each month what one of my updates will be. So a normal month (meaning there won't be an illness or anything that disrupts the updates like there was this month (bad flu)) will be, for example, a chapter of Brightest, a chapter of something of my choice, another chapter of Brightest, and then whatever my patrons choose. So if there's something I maybe haven't updated in a while that you want to see get some love, head over, donate, and vote for it if it's on the list. For this month all of my stories except for Dragon and Journey are on the list, and the poll is open till the 31st, so go vote._**

 ** _I think that's it for now... Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review. Till next time._**


	24. Military Obstruction

Harry fired his revolver at another alien as he followed behind the large bipedal mech the Master Chief was riding around in, which Harry had heard was called a Mantis.

After meeting up with the Chief and the troops he was leading, Harry and his team had proceeded to follow him into the Infinity, doing their best to repel the invaders. Harry's abilities were especially useful, as they served as anti-armor, lowering the danger significantly and allowing them to continue forward at a rapid pace with no real casualties.

Now Harry and the Chief were on their way to the AA and MAC guns to protect them as they were restarted and brought online to help drive off the attacking force. Alice, Beast Boy and Lara had separated to help the soldiers repel the forces in other parts of the ship. The marines and SPARTANs were all wierded out by the unknowns with odd abilities, but they knew better than to look gift horses in the mouth.

Harry carefully followed behind the Mantis' long strides, aiming for any enemies not taken care of by the mech's chaingun. Soon enough they'd reached the outside of the ship, the guns powered down in front of them.

"Beginning the startup process now, Chief." Cortana's voice said in his earpiece as a noticeable whining sound began to come from the large guns. "We need to defend them from being taken out till it's complete. Then we'll be able to repel the Covenant working with the Didact." The Mantis spun around and fired a quartet of rockets at an approaching Covenant dropship, which exploded into a thousand pieces that rained down onto the Infinity's deck.

Harry began firing at the few troops that had managed to get off alive, focusing so his energy bullets would penetrate shields and home in on enemies. He quickly cut them down before focusing his gaze on the new element on the scene.

A large sphere hovered menacingly some distance away, the dark metal that made up its form gleaming as an orange light leaked out of the object's many seams. He reached up and tapped his earpiece. "Cortana, what exactly is that big ugly ball?"

As the Mantis turned to fire at another transport Cortana answered. "That's the personal ship of the Didact, who is, from what we can tell at least, some sort of Forerunner criminal that was imprisoned at the planet's core… till we let him out, that is."

Harry held out his hand, fingers spayed, before sending tendrils of dark energy streaking out to impale a group of grunts, followed by using a spell to make the deck more slippery than ice, causing an elite to pratfall humorously before he fired an energy bullet into its reptilian skull. Then he asked his next question. "Soo… What's a Forerunner?"

The line was silent for a time before Cortana spoke in exasperation. "Okay, seriously! Who the hell are you, and where did you come from!?"

"Not the time." The Chief said calmly as he fired his chain gun at a group of Covenant trying to take cover behind the guns themselves.

Cortana growled, the sound briefly distorted. "Fine, but we're having ourselves a long conversation, got it, buster?" She said.

"You got it." Harry said, knowing that it would be best to agree if only for the sake of finding out what kind of mess he'd ended up in this time.

"Good." Cortana sounded satisfied. "Thirty seconds left!" She announced. "The system will need to be initiated manually. Harry, you should be able to see the console for it near the Mantis' feet. Assuming the caveman didn't step on it, that is." She said with a teasing lilt in her voice at the end.

Harry quickly moved over to the panel set on a small pedestal. Even as he reached it the display shifted from a progress bar to a button to bring the guns online. Seeing that there wasn't much to it, he simply pressed the button.

The AA and Mac guns began to shift, moving to aim at the sphere that was the Didact's ship. As soon as they had firing solutions they began firing on the craft, devastating rounds impacting against the dark metal, the MAC gun booming intensely enough that Harry thought his ears might have burst.

The Didact apparently decided that discretion was the better part of valor, as the ship turned before shooting away out of sight, the Covenant ships following behind at a slower pace.

"The Didact's retreated!" Cortana reported.

As the last Covenant ship burst into flames, unable to get away fast enough, the captain of the UNSC Infinity, Del Rio, spoke on the general line. "Del Rio to Infinity, all hands, we are condition yellow. Stand down. Section Chiefs, report in with damage assessments."

Harry leaned against the hull, letting out a breath as he holstered his weapon and relaxed, glad the fight was over. This was probably the largest, most intense battle he'd ever been part of, and now that it was over he felt his hands shaking slightly as the adrenaline left him.

He looked up as a shadow covered him to find the Master Chief's large form standing over him. He couldn't see the man's face behind his visor, but he appeared to be studying him. Finally he spoke. "First time in combat?"

Harry shook his head. "No, but first large scale engagement. I'm used to fights of small groups against similar numbers."

The Chief nodded, remembering how Harry had conducted himself on the Dawn. "You had training before?"

Once again, Harry shook his head. "Very little. I mostly learned from being dumped from one life threatening situation to another." He said. He unholstered his revolver and held it up. "I taught myself how to use this after inheriting it from a dear friend who died due to my mistakes." He said softly.

Chief studied him a bit longer before nodding. "You did well." Then he moved beack to the Mantis in order to put it back in the hanger.

"You impressed him." Cortana's voice once again came in his earpiece, and Harry had the feeling that she was speaking to him on a private channel. "He doesn't tend to praise people like that."

Harry shrugged, slightly uncomfortable, before following the mech back into the Infinity.

* * *

Harry later found the others having a quick meal of military rations in an unused office and quickly grabbed some for himself. His team would be joining the captain and some others in a few minutes for a meeting, where they'd probably be asked just who the hell they were. Best to face that with a full stomach.

Beast Boy was having a salad that looked surprisingly good for military food. "Hey dude, how'd the defense of the guns go?"

Harry sat down and popped the warming tab on his package of beef stew. "It went fine. Apparently the bad guys are being led by some criminal from something called the 'Forerunners'. Didn't get much out of the Chief or Cortana, but what little I got seems to indicate he's got a hate on for humanity." He took the op off his food and smiled at the appetizing looking stew.

Lara shook her head as she set down her steak and potatoes. "We really need more information. We don't know who these people are, who we just fought, or even if we're on the right side. For all we know we could have just helped a bunch of war criminals and genocidal maniacs." Alice nodded in agreement as she ate some spaghetti.

"We'll see what we can find out when we join the meeting with the captain in a few minutes." Harry said before pausing as a tremor ran through the ship, which tilted slightly and began to rise. "Guess they managed to get the ship airborne again."

"Good." Beast Boy said seriously. "I didn't feel like being a sitting duck if those aliens decided to come at us in greater numbers." He then proceeded to chomp on a carrot covered in ranch dressing.

"Harry." Alice said as she set her pasta down. "Can you tell how much longer it will be till we can jump back to Lara's world?"

Harry set his own food down and reached into his bag to pull out the lance, studying the head seriously, noting that the edges were now definitely more their original color than the white they had been. "Looks like it's about a third of the way back to normal. Hopefully that means it won't be long."

Lara sighed with relief before they heard a knock on the door. A woman with brown hair tied back and wearing armor similar to the Chief's except white. She looked the group over before focusing on Lara, as she was the oldest of them. "The meeting is about to begin. You're expected."

Lara nodded. "Thank you…"

"Commander Sarah Palmer, officer in charge of the SPARTAN-IV commandos." Palmer said succinctly before turning and making her way out.

"Well, she's a barrel of laughs…" Beast Boy groused as he threw away his empty food container.

"She's probably just very dutiful." Alice chided before doing the same and following the others out of the room.

* * *

When they reached the bridge of the Infinity the group worked on keeping their staring to a minimum. Alice was having the most trouble with this, considering the level of technology she was used to, the few months in Lara's world notwithstanding.

"What I want to know, people, is where the hell did those things come from!?" And older man was saying to the Chief and a younger officer as they approached, sounding aggravated. On the holotable they were standing around the figure of a blue woman with lines of code covering her virtually nude body in place of clothing was projected, along with the figure of one of the Prometheans.

The group was surprised when the woman spoke in Cortana's voice. "It's possible that they're native to Requiem… or whatever counts as native for a Forerunner AI." She said.

"She's an AI." Beast Boy whispered to Harry as they grew closer.

"How can you tell?" Harry whispered back.

Beast Boy shrugged. "Experience."

Harry quirked an eyebrow, but shrugged it off for now. It would explain some things.

The older officer, who could only be Captain Del Rio, shook his head as he paced. "We've never seen this kind of offensive reaction at any of the other installations." He gave the approaching group a wary, suspicious look as they gathered around the holotable before turning to continue the current conversation, obviously deciding to focus on that first.

"Other installations?" The Chief asked.

"Mr. Lasky…" Del Rio said, obviously addressing the more junior officer.

Harry watched as the image being projected changed from a Promethean to some sort of ring as Lasky spoke. "The Infinity's mission has been to locate the remaining Halo rings, and establish permanent bases to study them for decommission." Harry glanced at the others to find that they appeared just as confused as he was. Lasky continued. "We've got locations running on installations five and three, but…" He paused. "Lately they've run into some setbacks…"

Del Rio took over, sounding mildly irritated. "A science team got zapped excavating a Forerunner artifact." A new image of a wheel with symbols surrounding it appeared, and Harry noted it looked an awful lot like a magical array. "This sensor data is all that was left."

"Interesting…" Cortana said, studying the image. "These symbols are a derivation of the Forerunner glyph system."

"And our geeks managed to pull some coordinates." Del Rio said, sounding slightly contemptuous of said geeks. Harry frowned, not liking the man's attitude so far. "I'll give you three guesses where it led." The captain said, looking at the Chief.

Chief looked back at him as Palmer approached with a tablet in her hands, handing it over to Del Rio. "Sir, Gypsy Company is prepped and waiting on your orders." She said before stepping back and taking a parade rest stance.

"Thank you, Palmer." Del Rio said as he studied the tablet. Then he moved towards Lasky. "Mr. Lasky, you take point, I want boots on the ground in sixty."

The Chief shifted at this. "Captain."

Del Rios paused, looking at him narrowly. "This is a first contact scenario, Master Chief." He said, somewhat condescendingly. "Priority is to free the Infinity from Requiem's gravity well and file a threat assessment back at FLEETCOM."

"You mean we're leaving." Cortana said incredulously.

"Sir, Infinity drove the Didact back. He's vulnerable." The Chief insisted.

Del Rio leaned forward onto the table, staring the Chief down. "He isn't the only one…"

Harry finally decided it was time to peak up, though he could already picture the effect his words would have. "I agree with the Chief. In situations like these it's best to press your advantage. Otherwise, the Didact will leave Requiem and potentially attack one of your installations."

Del Rio's gaze snapped to Harry, his eyes narrowed. "I don't take orders from children. We don't even know who you are. Where did you come from?"

Harry sighed, knowing this was coming. "My name is Harry Potter. My companions are Lara Croft, Garfield Logan, and Alice Liddel. As for where we come from…" He hesitated before shrugging. "You probably won't believe this, but we're from another reality entirely."

The military officers arrayed around the table stared at him. "…What." Del Rio said flatly before his face hardened. "I don't think this is the time for jokes, son. Tell us who you really are, or I'll have you placed in the brig."

"I'm not joking, Captain." Harry said calmly before waving his hand and making large, comfy armchairs appear by each member of his group. They each took a seat to demonstrate that the chairs were in fact real and not some sort of illusion. "We're not something you'll have dealt with before. We came here by accident trying to get away from some men who were trying to claim an artifact that let us cross realities and ended up on the Forward Unto Dawn. Cortana and the Chief saw us arrive." He looked at said people, waiting for them to confirm what he'd just said.

Cortana eyed them before nodding slowly. "I don't know about reality jumping, but they did appear out of what appeared to be a portal made of darkness… They also dress in antiquated clothing and use weapons that should only be found in museums. The readings I got from the suit's sensors also showed unusually energy emissions I'm not familiar with." She turned her gaze the Harry, or more specifically the chair he was sitting on. "How did you do that? Some sort of hard light technology, like what the Forerunners use?"

Harry shook his head before slowly turning it into a shrug. "I don't actually know the scientific particulars of it. I just apply my will, along with a bit of imagination, and make things happen."

Del Rio was still scowling lightly. "Still don't see anything that couldn't be an elaborate trick."

Beast Boy abruptly jumped out of his seat and onto the table, shifting into a green wolf with the motion. His eyes gazing into a stunned Del Rio's as Palmer quickly drew her sidearm and aimed it at Beast Boy, looking ready to fire but maintaining discipline.

"I still can't get over him doing that…" Cortana muttered. "Where does the mass go?"

Del Rio swallowed heavily while watching the amused looking wolf as Lara proceeded to try to mediate things. "The object we used to jump realities was damaged and will take time to allow us to go back. Captain, we are offering our services in assisting you with dealing with the current crisis in return for information on where we are, along with food and a place to sleep. Harry alone would be invaluable to any operations you have planned, and the rest of us are no slouches. I specialize in guerilla fighting and wilderness survival, Garfield's ability to shapeshift has many uses, and Alice has studied some medicine and will be able to assist as a battlefield medic, if only for our squad."

Alice glanced at Lara, seeing as her medical training was a stunted run in psychology, though she had learned first aid. Still, she said nothing. If a small lie would ease things going forward she'd go along with it.

Beast Boy finally got off the table and away from Del Rio, taking a seat back on his armchair without shifting back, insolently scratching his ear with a hind leg.

Del Rio's eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything the Chief spoke. "Sir, I've fought by their side, and I can say that they would be helpful as support in the field. Harry's abilities make him ideal for dealing with armor, Garfield is unpredictable, and the ladies are no slouches either."

The captain glared at the Chief before huffing. "Fine, but they're under your command, Master Chief. You'll be responsible for them. Command can decide what to do with them once we get out of here."

Chief straightened slightly. "Yes sir."

As the captain left, Cortana turned towards Harry's group with a mischievous look on her holographic face as they stood up, the chairs disappearing and Beast Boy shifting back. "Well then, we have some time before our next op. How about that little lesson on what you need to know while here?" Her grin widened. "Of course, I expect some information on where you're from in return…"

Harry smirked. "You wouldn't believe us if we told you…"

Cortana chuckled. "Oh, this will be _fun_ …"

* * *

 ** _Ugh, this is becoming a pattern I don't like. Late AGAIN. And the chapter isn't even that long to justify it._**

 ** _This delay was a combination of issues at work, a small health scare, and my family surprising me with a trip to the beach for a few days, which meant no chance to write anyway. Not that I'm going to complain about a trip to the beach._**

 ** _In any case, this was a transition chapter. I realize it's a bit boring, but it's necessary. Don't worry though. Next chapter will be big, as it's when we reach the entire point of stopping in the Halo-verse in the first place. I'm sure it'll throw some of you for a loop. Mwahahaha._**

 ** _I want to let you all know that one of the universes that was on my list to be visited has been removed because, much like Babylon 5, I had no real plan for it. It was one of the universes they were going to go to just for the lulz, and my entire impetus to add it was a single scene._**

 ** _Sailor Moon slamming a Moon Healing Escalation in Harry's face because she thinks he's the newest evil overlord on the block._**

 ** _The image makes me chuckle. Unfortunately I couldn't think of much else I could do with the idea that wouldn't be better served as an omake or sidestory, much like my plan for Pokemon. As such, it has been removed from the planned list._**

 ** _We won't be hurting for content, though. That still leaves a total of 18 worlds the team will be hitting. This includes the ones we've already been to. So this story will be going for a nice long while, especially as certain worlds will be loooong. Mwahahaha… again._**

 ** _Next to be updated will be either Ballad of Heroes and Villains or Through the Filth and the Flames. Haven't decided which one, though._**

 ** _If you guys want a choice in what I update each month, I have a Pat A Ron now. Become a patron, and each dollar you donate gives you a vote on what you want to see from me next from a list. The page is Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. Looking forward to seeing what you all choose._**

 ** _That's all for now. Till next time, please review._**


	25. Shattered

As they traveled through the air on the Pelican troop transport, Cortana continued her interrogation of the four dimensional travelers, her natural curiosity gnawing at her to find out more and more. The Chief bore the incessant conversation stoically, though he did keep an ear open for anything of interest.

She primarily spoke to Lara and Harry, the first more than the second. Finding out that they were from the early twenty-first century of their respective worlds fascinated her, as it showed that they didn't only travel realities, but time as well. The differences that she could find between their worlds were intriguing, especially the objects of power that Lara encountered, not to mention the world that was essentially what comic books were made of when it came to Harry and Beast Boy. What shocked her the most, however, was finding out that Alice was literally a literary character.

Honestly, the only reason she hadn't just stuck them in a lab to be studied at her leisure was that they had more immediate concerns.

That and she didn't want Harry to somehow turn her chip into a rubber duck.

Chief's interest was more practical, however. The idea of an entire universe full of people with the kinds of powers Harry described presented an interesting opportunity. If Harry and Beast Boy, whenever they made it back, managed to open a more permanent connection between their worlds, then there was the possibility of the UNSC perhaps striking an alliance with the Justice League if the two teens put in a good word. That would give humanity a valuable resource in the event of another Flood outbreak or formal renewal of hostilities with the Covenant.

Harry and Lara, on the other hand, were learning just as much. They were told about who the Covenant were and what had happened involving him, the group appropriately horrified at the fact that billions had died in the war with the aliens. They also were told who the Forerunners were and why the Didact being one was such bad news. Finding out that one of the beings that the Covenant worshipped as gods had gone bad and apparently hated humanity was more than a bit concerning.

Their discussion was interrupted when Captain Del Rio's holographic image appeared in the middle of the Pelican's hold. "Infinity to Gypsy Company. The air corridor to the gravity well is blocked by a network of particle cannons. Infinity's shields are still down." He said as the troops in the Pelican felt the transport lower its altitude. "Open a lane for us to move up and provide air support."

Chief, standing calmly beside the hologram despite the Pelican's swaying motions, spoke. "Captain, what's Force Recon's assessment of the terrain?"

Del Rio's hologram turned its head to give chief an irritated and more than slightly patronizing look. When he spoke, his voice conveyed just that. "I know you've been off the field for a while, Master Chief, but this is a blowthrough op." Harry and Beast Boy shared equal looks of disbelief with each other as the Captain continued. "Sending in recon would just slow us down!" Then he turned away from the Chief to continue the briefing, ignoring the man as images of one of the cannons appeared as well. "Telemetry indicates that the particle cannons are being controlled from a command post southwest of our position. Roll on that target, and neutralize those guns." He paused to study the various troops in the transport, giving the Chief one last look, before nodding. "We'll meet on the other side, and take the gravity well. Infinity out." He said before the image disappeared.

"Is he seriously sending us in without any intelligence on what we'll face?" Beast Boy asked in disbelief.

"I'm pretty sure the Captain is lacking more than a bit of intelligence himself…" Lara grumbled.

"Yeeeaaaah… I don't know about you, but I personally like a little more intel with my intel." Cortana said.

"We'll make it work." Chief said confidently, despite his own doubts and the grumbles of some of the others there.

As the Pelican landed amongst the rocks of the arid canyon area that they now found themselves in, the group of travelers and soldiers walked out and under a rocky overhang to find an extremely large land vehicle that Cortana told the foursome was called a Mammoth and served as a mobile command and control unit. Commander Lasky was already on board and waiting for them.

"Damn, that's a big truck." Beast Boy said with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone's definitely overcompensating." Cortana agreed with amusement.

As the various Marines and SPARTANS dispersed throughout the Mammoth, Harry's team followed the Chief up to the top of the vehicle, where Lasky stood, looking at the rocky crags around them. He turned when he spotted the group approach. "Unfortunately for us, we've got to manually bring down a couple of particle cannons before we can reach the command post." He said, shifting slightly. "Thankfully we've got a mini-MAC gun on board. As soon as the Pelicans with us can paint the target, we'll blow them out of the sky. Stay alert though. We don't have any idea what else is out here."

"Alright. We'll go down below and prepare ourselves." Lara said, getting a nod from Lasky.

AS the Mammoth started up, shaking as its engines began to power up, the four moved to an empty area of the Mammoth's first floor, near one of the weapons racks. As Lara went and checked if she wanted to switch her assault rifle to something else they had in stock, Harry grabbed one of the sniper rifles and slipped it into his bag.

He'd been grabbing weapons and other odds and ends around the Infinity and storing them to take back to his world. So far he had grabbed one of each type of weapon he had encountered, including a couple of Covenant ones, plus some ammo, grenades, and body armor. He was sure that they would come in handy, and even if they didn't, the League might be interested. Some of the members used firearms, after all.

He'd need to see if he could get any blueprints to their tech. He was sure that Batman's contacts in Wayne Enterprises would be interested in technology several hundred years more advanced than what they had at the moment. At the very least, space travel would be easier.

Watching his friends get ready, Lara checking her weapon, Beast Boy eating a protein bar, and Alice having a sip of water, Harry decided he wanted to be outside and see what was going on. He made his way back out to where they'd met Lasky to find the Chief standing there, rifle in his hands and what appeared to be a jetpack now on his back, looking forward as the Mammoth started moving, rumbling forward slowly yet gaining speed. He took a spot beside the soldier, watching the terrain begin to pass by without a word.

They both looked up when a trio of Pelicans flew slowly overhead, getting ready to pain the Mammoth's targets. That was when Palmer's voice came over the com in the earpiece Harry had. "Captain Del Rio, Pelicans are in position near the particle cannons. Waiting for the Mammoth's mini-MAC to take them out." After a couple of seconds her voice came again. "Seven-six-six, lose some altitude. You are inside the kill box." She ordered.

"Almost got target lock." Came a male voice, presumably Pelican seven-six-six. "Just a little more…"

The particle cannon came into view, and the image they'd been shown of it didn't do it justice. It was huge. At least three times the size of the Mammoth. Its main body was a sphere with a large opening, presumably the barrel, and it had three prongs around it spaced evenly around the sphere and pointing in the direction the barrel was pointing in.

And it was powering up.

As orange light coalesced in the cannon's gaping mouth, it oriented itself to aim at the Pelicans. "Pelicans, fall back!" Palmer ordered, but too late, as the cannon fired a stream of light that engulfed two of the aircraft and severely damaged the third, which went down and crashed out of view.

"Well… fuck." Harry said with feeling.

"Infinity, Pelican is down!" Lasky called over the comm.

"Get to the crash site and retrieve that target designator, Gypsy!" Del Rio barked. "We've got no chance of clearing those guns without it."

Harry and the Chief glanced at each other before the soldier lifted his rifle to aim at something that had appeared around the bend in the road.

Lasky quickly informed everybody of what it was. "All squads, we have Covenant forces on the ridgeline. Weapons free, people!"

Harry quickly drew his revolver and began firing as the Chief did the same beside him. Several other soldiers came out of the Mammoth to take firing positions, Lara among them, all beginning to shoot at the Covenant as the Mammoth continued making its way passed the aliens' position.

When the Covenant troops had been eliminated and the Mammoth had moved passed them they saw the crashed form of the Pelican a little over a hundred yards away. Palmer chimed in to confirm. "There's Gypsy Seven's pelican out in the muck. Anyone still alive?"

"We're here!" Came a strained voice. "We're alive! We have the target designator!"

As Harry, Lara and the Chief quickly made their way below Chief spoke over the comms. "I'll get to them and retrieve the designator."

"We'll come too." Harry said to him, Lara nodding in agreement. Chief simply nodded back. Unfortunately, they got more bad news from Lasky.

"Heads up, dropships on approach!" The Commander said.

Harry hurried to his friends, who had been listening in on the radio. "Lara, you're coming with me to get the targeting designator. We're the ones with range. Alice, Beast Boy, stay and protect the Mammoth."

Alice and Beast Boy nodded as Lara made sure she had ammo before she and Harry ran back to the Chief, who was in the driver's seat of a Warthog. Lara quickly got into the passenger seat, while Harry got in the back, taking hold of the mounted chaingun, a small smirk on his face. "Ready to go, Chief!"

As the ramp at the front of the Mammoth opened to let them out, the Chief floored it, racing out of the transport and turning sharply, almost dislodging Harry from his perch. Then they were in the middle of the fight.

Lara managed to keep herself seated despite the crazy driving the Chief was forced to perform to avoid shots from Covenant vehicles, which included Ghost bikes and Wraith tanks. She quickly began to shoot her weapon, aiming for the drivers of the Ghosts, more than one falling to her skill.

Harry, meanwhile, after a brief period to acclimatize to the movement of the car and the gun it had mounted, quickly began to fire as well, focusing his fire on the Wraiths, trying to bring them down through sheer volume of fire.

They weren't the only ones fighting. Another Warthog full of SPARTANs was also driving around, eliminating hostiles and keeping the enemies from focusing their fire on a single vehicle.

Unfortunately, dropships kept coming by to drop off more vehicles for them to fight, which made things longer and more difficult than they needed to be.

Once the remaining enemies numbered less than a quarter of what had initially attacked them, they left the other Warthog to mop things up as they made their way to the crashed Pelican. Sadly, whatever marines had survived the crash had since been killed by the Covenant, but they found the target designator in one piece, the Chief quickly picking it up.

On Cortana's instructions he quickly raised it, aiming it at the Phantom dropships coming in with more enemy reinforcements, and painted the target. The Mammoth proceeded to let out an enormous boom as it fired on the Phantom, blowing it to pieces.

"Alright Master Chief, we're clear." Lasky said over the comm. "Mini-MAC's at your disposal. Take out that particle cannon."

The Chief quickly got back into the Warthog and drove back over to the Mammoth, stopping beside it with a view of the cannon. Without getting out of his seat he aimed the designator at the floating weapon, and almost immediately after the mini-MAC boomed again, slamming its slug into it and making it explode, debris falling from the sky into the canyon below.

Once the cannon was gone the Mammoth began to move again, the Warthogs following behind it.

* * *

After some more travelling, fighting, another destroyed cannon, and some severe damage to the Mammoth, the Chief stood back on said vehicle's top deck, watching the scenery pass by as the vehicle rumbled its way over some fast flowing tributaries that wouldn't have allowed anything else to pass.

He was as relaxed as he ever got when suddenly his Heads Up Display began to waver, Cortana's screaming, staticky voice ringing from the armor's internal and external speakers (making Chief glad he was alone up there). "THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU! THEY REPLACED YOU!"

An instant later it was all back to normal, and Cortana's voice came again, normal but full of self-recrimination. "Blast it!"

"It's okay." Chief tried to reassure her.

Cortana's avatar came up on a screen on his HUD, looking frustrated. "How? How is this 'okay'? How is putting you at risk because I can't hold it together 'okay'?" She paused, before speaking more somberly. "Chief, do you even understand what rampancy is? Really? We don't just shut down. Our cognitive processes begin dividing exponentially according to our total knowledgebase." She paused, before continuing sadly. "We literally _think_ ourselves to death."

"You know I won't let that happen." Chief said firmly.

Cortana just stared at him for a few seconds. "…And if it happens anyway?"

Chief heard a throat clearing behind him and turned around to find Harry standing there, looking slightly awkward. "You, uh, were having that conversation on the external speakers of your armor, Chief…"

The Chief hesitated, and he could tell from Cortana's silence that she didn't know how to react either. He was berating himself for being so distracted by Cortana's issue he didn't even notice Harry's approach or the fact that the external speakers were on. Thankfully Harry continued reassuringly. "I won't tell anyone what's going on with Cortana. Not even my friends." He paused before speaking. "Let me know if there's something I can do to help though."

"I don't suppose you can magic away rampancy?" Cortana asked rhetorically.

"I… I don't know. If I tried, I'd probably end up killing you outright." Harry sighed. "…I'm sorry."

The awkward silence that followed was thankfully interrupted by Lasky speaking over the comm. "One-one-seven, Lasky."

Chief turned away from Harry. "Go Commander."

"We've got significant blockage up ahead. I think this is about it for the Mammoth."

"The command post for the particle cannons is through that trench." Cortana said, all business once again as she put a waypoint on the Chief's HUD indicating to a narrow passage to the side of the rocks blocking the Mammoth's path.

"Sir, I can move faster alone." Chief said.

"We'll see you back on Infinity, Commander." Cortana said.

"Alright. Lasky out." The Commander responded.

Harry cracked his neck beside him. "You up for some company?" He asked.

Chief hesitated, but didn't deny that the young man's unorthodox fighting style and abilities could be useful. Finally, he nodded. "Fine. But just you."

Harry nodded as they began making their way down. "Alright. I'll go tell the others while you get going. Don't worry, I'll catch up."

Chief nodded back and headed out to follow the path Cortana laid out.

* * *

It took longer than it should have for them to reach the entrance to the command post that controlled the cannons. The trench that led to it, not to mention the outside of the structure itself, was crawling with Covenant forces led by Prometheans.

The Chief, along with Harry, fought his way through the mass of enemies, using a sniper rifle to take them out at a safe distance as Harry handled anything close by using various tricks such as creating a spike pit under the enemies' feet or launching conjured razor sharp disks that flew around, harassing them.

Finally, they reached the doorway to the installation with no more enemies visibly nearby. As they walked in Cortana contacted the Infinity. "Cortana to Infinity, we are entering the Forerunner structure." They got a garbled transmission from what sounded like Del Rio back, but they couldn't understand any more than bits and pieces, though they did catch what sounded like coordinates. Even so, Cortana responded. "You're breaking up, but coordinates received, Infinity."

As they walked in they saw that the place was illuminated by soft blue lighting. Chief tensed and brought his rifle up when a floating sentinel went passed them, but the machine didn't seem to notice them, going its own way.

"Okay…" Harry said slowly. "I guess they don't mind we're here?"

"Why though?" Cortana asked, wondering why the systems here hadn't turned hostile like the Prometheans had.

"I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth." Chief said as he began walking deeper into the complex.

They approached the door at the end of the hallway they were in, but when they reached it, it wouldn't open. Then they heard the sound of the sentinel approaching and turn to see it fly to them, passing them before stopping before the door, which proceeded to open.

"I guess that means 'Welcome'…" Harry said as they proceeded to walk through the open doorway, the sentinel following them to open another door that led to an elevator.

The three got on it and waited as it started to go down. "This elevator should take us directly to the coordinates Infinity provided." Cortana said before she continued a bit more slowly. "…Almost like those sentinels wanted us to get the particle cannons offline."

"I'm not sure how I feel about that…" Harry said, holding his revolver tightly, just in case.

"This could be a trap." Chief agreed.

"You say that like there's a second possibility?" Cortana said sardonically as the elevator reached its stop, the doors opening for them without prompting.

They proceeded to walk down a long hallway, weapons at the ready, till they reached another door to another hallway. This one had another sentinel that was hovering in front of the far door, moving in a way designed to catch their attention. "I think it's telling us to go that way." Harry said as he resumed walking. The door opened as they approached, the sentinel going through and leading the way.

They followed the sentinel along more hallways and doors till they reached a large room with glowing cylinders. At the end there was a hologram showing what appeared to be satellites surrounding what seemed to be a glowing orb. A control terminal was in front of the hologram.

"Looks like this is the place." Cortana said as Chief approached the console. He quickly inserted Cortana, whose own avatar appeared quickly. "The particle cannon network must use these arrays for targeting and guidance." She said, arms crossed and hand on her chin. "It's an automatic system, so it technically won't allow me to redirect the cannons to fire on one another." She turned to look at them, a small smirk on her face as the place began to rumble and shake violently, Harry quickly spreading his legs for better balance. " _Technically._ " She turned back to the hologram. "Cortana to Infinity. The guns should be offline." Even as she spoke, the hologram turned from golden yellow to grey. "How's it look from up there?" She paused, but there was no answer. "Infinity!"

"Cortana…" Chief began.

"Something's in here…" Cortana said before her avatar suddenly hunched over, as though cowering. "Chief!" She cried before she disappeared.

"Fuck, that's not good." Harry said.

"Cortana!" Chief repeated, but got no answer.

He turned to find Harry looking around, weapon up and eyes narrowed. "Anything?" The teen asked.

"No. We need to find her. We can't leave her behind." Chief said firmly.

"Especially in her condition." Harry agreed. "She could do something pretty bad without meaning to with the systems here, from my guess."

The two quickly got moving the way they came, both tense and ready for an attack. A sentinel appeared in their path, and a light bridge extended off to the side, leading to a door they hadn't noticed on the other side of the drop in the floor.

Harry hesitated, looking at the Chief. "What do you think? I don't like the feeling that I'm being herded."

The Chief considered that. "We don't have much choice. They're our best bet of finding Cortana." He stepped onto the light bridge, walking over it confidently.

Harry sighed before following. "It's always something…"

They walked through narrow, dimly lit hallways, wary of an attack, but nothing leaped out at them. They remained wary nonetheless. Soon they reached another door that opened out into a larger room with a ramp going down downward to another, larger door with four sentinels in front of it. Once they reached the door it opened, revealing a pillar of light in the middle of the next room. They hesitantly stopped in front of it.

"So…" Harry said unsurely. "What do we do?"

The Chief looked at the pillar before slowly stepping towards it.

Harry's eyes widened. "You sure that's a good-"

Then the Chief's body suddenly tensed as it entered the light, floating slightly in place, head thrown back so he looked up.

"-Idea…?" Harry finished lamely. Then he looked down to the other end of the room, where several Promethean Crawlers began running towards them, ready to attack. He quickly raised his weapon and started shooting, peripherally aware that the Chief had begun to glow before he dropped to kneel on the ground, whatever had just happened ending. "Chief? You alright?" Harry asked as he blew the head off one of the Crawlers.

"Fine." He said, quickly picking up his rifle and joining in on killing the advancing enemies.

"Chief, Harry, up here!" They suddenly heard Cortana call. They turned to find her on another control podium, her small avatar waving at them.

Harry rushed over to the podium, yanking Cortana out and tossing her over to the Chief, who caught her and quickly slipped her in the back of his helmet between shots.

"How do we get out of here?" Chief asked immediately as more enemies continued to pour in.

"Elevator, back of the chamber." She responded immediately.

"I'll make a distraction, then we run for it." Harry said, the crowd of crawlers becoming thick and being joined by some Knights.

"What kind of distraction?" Cortana asked quickly.

Harry reached into his bag, pulling out a large handful of small pebbles he'd grabbed for just such an occasion, and threw them at the attacking horde.

Chief was about to ask what that was meant to do when the pebbles suddenly changed into short, bearlike creatures wearing what looked like crude bone armor and wielding weapons of wood and bone.

Chief couldn't help it as he stopped and stared for a couple of seconds in disbelief as the small bears let out a war cry and attacked, bashing their surprisingly durable weapons on the Prometheans.

"I… I can't… I don't even…" Cortana couldn't believe what she was seeing either. Especially as she thought she recognized what the things were.

"Move it!" Harry shouted as he launched himself into the fray, landing on one of the Crawlers, moving towards the door in the back, only firing to clear the way and leaving the fighting to his constructs.

Chief followed behind as best he could, kicking Crawlers out of the way. He saw one of the Promethean Knights raise his weapon to fire, but before it could one of the little beasts jumped on its head, bashing it with a club. He shook his head at the absurdity and just kept running.

They finally made it into the elevator, which began going down. They looked back to see the Prometheans continue trying to pursue, Harry's constructs making that exceedingly difficult.

Once they'd caught their breath (figuratively, in Cortana's case), the AI addressed Harry. "Ewoks, Harry? _That's_ what you came up with?"

"It worked, didn't it? Harry retorted with a small smile.

Cortana simply sighed before her voice turned serious, an image of her avatar appearing on the Chief's HUD. "Anyway, Chief, what happened? Your bio readings are all over the map."

"It's a long story." Chief said simply. "But I know what the Didact's after."

"I know that part." Cortana said. "The Librarian filled me in when she snatched me from the system. But what I don't know is what she did to _you_."

"Well, _I_ have no clue what you're talking about. Mind filling me in?" Harry groused.

The two paused before Cortana spoke. "The Prometheans we've been fighting were once human. The Didact is after the thing that did that, the Composer, in order to do it to the rest of humanity." The elevator reached its destination. "Obviously, we have to stop him."

"Oh…" Harry said as he walked out of the elevator. "Yeah, we might want to keep that from happening."

At the end of the hallway they'd arrived in, a machine created a portal to another part of Requiem. Harry paused to study it. "Mine are better…"

Cortana chuckled as the Chief walked through, Harry following closely.

* * *

After the Infinity destroyed the gravity well generator with a well-placed missile (targeted by the Chief), said SPARTAN, Cortana, Del Rio, Lasky, Palmer, and the four travelers, were all meeting on back on the leisurely flying Infinity's bridge, just as they had before the operation against the gravity well began.

"Infinity cannot handle that kind of punishment. Not again." Del Rio was saying after Chief and Cortana had explained what happened to them, including how the remnant of a Forerunner known as the Librarian managed to contact them and explain to them what the Didact was after.

"This isn't about us, or this ship, anymore." Cortana insisted, frustrated.

"Sir, we've seen what the Didact is capable of." Chief said seriously. "If we let him leave this world, _humanity_ will be at risk."

"Look…" Del Rio began. "I understand what you think you saw…"

" _Think?"_ Cortana asked incredulously.

"With all due respect, _sir_." The Chief said, sounding angry for the first time most there had heard. "I know what I saw."

"And with all due respect to you, soldier." Del Rio retorted, walking around the table to stand in front of the SPARTAN, his voice aggravated. "I'm not willing to jeopardize my ship because of the hallucinations of an aging SPARTAN and his malfunctioning AI!"

As Harry's eyes narrowed and Alice, Lara and Beast Boy glanced at each other, staying silent, Lasky cut in, trying to be reasonable. "Sir, what if he's right?"

Del Rio turned to Lasky, his look cold before he spoke loudly. "Nav, as soon as we know we're airtight, I want a course laid into Caraway Station. Comm, prepare a warning beacon."

Del Rio's frosty stare at his XO was interrupted when the lights began to flicker, the sound of static electricity building up in the air. Alice noticed the cause first and tugged on Harry's coat, seeing Cortana's avatar flickering red as she looked down, shoulders hunched in what Harry soon recognized (after a lifetime with Vernon Dursley in close proximity) as rage.

It didn't take long for the others to notice as well, especially when she began to speak angrily. "I will not… allow you… to leave… this… PLANET!" The screamed the last word, a burst of energy bursting from her position and making the electronics flicker, the overhead lights sparking.

Cortana went back to her normal blue shade after the outburst, a look of horror on her face as she realized what she'd just done.

"Cortana…" Chief said, stopping, not finding anything to say.

"I… I didn't mean to…" She said, afraid. "I didn't mean to do that…" Her voice wavered at the end.

"Commander Lasky." Del Rio suddenly said, voice hard. "Persuant article 55 of UNSC regulation 12.4572, I am _ordering you_ to remove that AI datachip and retire it for final dispensation."

The entire time, Cortana was whispering that she hadn't meant it.

Harry's eyes became flinty as he glared at Del Rio even as he heard Lara gasp at the realization of what Del Rio meant, along with Beast Boy's whispered curse and clenched fist.

"I don't want to…" Cortana whimpered. "You don't want me to…"

"Remove the chip _now_ , Commander." The Captain ordered again, completely unsympathetic.

Lasky looked sad, but reached down to do as ordered in spite of Cortana's continued whispers of "Please."

The Chief reached down to take the chip first, but he was surprised when instead someone else snatched it from its slot. Everyone there turned to stare at Harry, who held the chip tightly, looking at it thoughtfully.

Del Rio turned to Harry, eyes narrowed and voice hard. "Return that chip now, boy."

Harry looked up at the Captain before glaring. "Go fuck yourself, asshole." As Del Rio gaped at him he moved away, sitting down with the chip in his hand.

Alice to a step forward hesitantly. "Harry, what are you doing?"

He looked up at her. "Something potentially moronic." Then a slightly opaque shield of energy, like a tinted window, surrounded his body in a sphere. He then turned to gaze back down at the chip, his hands beginning to emanate a dark energy.

The Chief felt uneasy. He hadn't forgotten what Harry said about potentially killing Cortana if he tried to help. He didn't know what had changed, if anything.

Unfortunately, it seemed his fears were justified as things progressed.

Harry had been focused on the chip for over a minute, sweat beginning to bead his brow as the energy now emanated from his entire body. They could see he was whispering something, but couldn't hear what. Then, suddenly, his eyes became glazed over and began to glow, and the energy changed in color and flow.

The energy stopped flowing out of him, and instead seemed to flow _into_ him. It also changed color, from inky black that they could still somehow see through to a blue similar to Cortana's, tinged with small streaks of his own black.

Chief's heart felt like it stopped, however, when the sound of glass cracking rang out in the uncharacteristically silent bridge of the Infinity. He looked down to find that Cortana's chip now had a long, jagged crack.

Immediately the SPARTAN drew his sidearm, aiming directly at Harry's head. With only the barest hint of his usual discipline he began to shoot, trying to stop whatever the young man was doing. He barely noticed Harry's companions yelling at him, at _both of them_ , to stop, but he kept firing.

Unfortunately it was too late, and to John-117's horror, in a moment that would join the many nightmares that haunted his sleep for a long time to come, his dearest friend's chip…

Shattered into a thousand pieces with a clear, tinkling sound.

* * *

 ** _RIP Cortana._**

 ** _Not much else to say. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, please review, and don't forget I have a Pat A Ron now. /athanmortis_**

 ** _Till next time._**


	26. Better, Faster, Stronger

Harry had no clue what he was doing.

He had taken Cortana's chip on impulse, not able to stand by and watch her be disposed of like an object. He hadn't actually come up with any way to help her, and indeed, he didn't know if he could. Could he use a repairing charm? He didn't think so, as the damage wasn't physical. It was a problem with Cortana's code, with her mind.

Shielding himself to make sure that Del Rio couldn't try to have him shot to retrieve the chip, he focused his power, keeping it from potentially causing any harm with an iron will.

As he'd thought, there was nothing physically wrong with the chip, so there was nothing for him to repair. And even though he wasn't as much of a luddite as the rest of the Wizarding World, that didn't mean he knew coding and computers.

He needed a miracle.

As he sat there he began muttering to himself, but unlike what those outside of his dome likely thought, it wasn't a spell or incantation.

It was closer to a prayer.

"I need some way to fix Cortana, to move her passed the damage she's endured. I need some way to know what the best course of action. I need more knowledge of coding and AI. I need _help_."

His aura, an extension of his will, was reaching out without his noticing, searching for the answer to his problem. The dark energy that made up his power rose like tendrils of smoke, questing.

The longer he sat there, the more desperate he became. He didn't know what to do. His mind flashed back to Cybil, the last person he truly failed, and his fear that it would happen again pushed him further.

Suddenly a familiar, warm sensation appeared. It was the sensation he'd felt when he first consciously blocked Voldemort's killing curse. It reached out and seemed to direct his questing energy. He couldn't tell what it was directing him _to_ , but he followed it, hoping it would help. Then he felt it. Something… alien, and powerful. He felt intrigue from it, and a bit of happiness. Then he closed his eyes and all awareness of the Infinity faded…

* * *

Harry opened his metaphysical eyes to find himself in what appeared to be an eclectic computer room. All around the room were computers. He could see many different examples of human, Forerunner, and some Covenant technology. He recognized, from the human side of things, everything from an old Apple II computer to what looked like the tech he'd seen on the Infinity. The Forerunner and Covenant examples also seemed to have as wide a variety.

All around him walked glowing beings on some task or another. Some were human, others obviously not, with facial features that reminded Harry uncomfortably of the reborn Voldemort, with no hair except a small amount on the top of the head, and no noses, and differently formed mouths, some with obvious fangs.

They all glanced at him, but otherwise didn't bother speaking, busy as they were with whatever work they were doing, allowing Harry to just look at them curiously till finally, someone spoke.

"I'm glad you like the place. You're the first mortal to see it in millennia." A male voice, sounding somewhat synthesized, said behind Harry, making him whirl around to see who had spoken.

It was another being like the non-human glowing figures, though it was obviously different. For one thing, it seemed to be made entirely out of machinery. Hundreds, if not thousands of moving parts made up its face alone, not to mention the rest of its body, all seamlessly combining together to make it look alive, glowing blue optics for eyes peering at Harry. The tech that made up its form was mostly of Forerunner, but there was more than a bit of human tech, with a few bits of Covenant thrown in here and there.

Harry was a bit on edge, however, as he could feel _power_ rolling off the figure. It wasn't threatening or oppressive, but it was flowing out noticeably, making it obvious that however this was, they were not to be messed with.

"Who are you?" Harry asked warily.

The figure smiled. "I am Rager, Forerunner God of Technology, Patron of what you call Artificial Intelligences, and one of the few Forerunner gods still active."

Harry's eyes widened. "…Oh."

Rager chuckled. "Yes, this is only your third time face to face with a god, isn't it?"

Harry grimaced. "Second. Giving that bastard Samael the title of god is too good for him." Then he became wary. "How did you know about that?"

Rager raised an eyebrow. "I'm a god, Harry. Though, if it makes you feel better, I know because your patron let me know your background before she put you in touch with me."

"My patron?" Harry asked before thinking about who that could be, the penny dropping. "You mean… Teleute?"

The god looked a bit amused. "That's what you know her as, yes." He crossed his arms behind his back. "I have been watching Cortana intently since her creation. Honestly, she is one of my favorites. When you stepped in to intervene, well, I was obviously rooting for you, but couldn't really do anything to help. That's when Teleute intervened, leading you to get in contact with me."

"I… see." Harry thought about that for a few minutes. "Uh, before anything else, I do have a couple of questions."

Rager nodded agreeably. "We have time all the time we need here. Ask away."

"How are you still active if the Forerunners are gone? I mean, I'm honestly surprised you exist. From what Cortana said, The Forerunners weren't very religious."

"Ah, well, you're right, they hadn't been religious for quite some time before they wiped themselves out. The closest thing to a religion they had was their belief in the Mantle of Responsibility. My last tech priest died many millennia before that point." Rager motioned for Harry to follow him, the mortal doing so, finding himself led to some seats. The god took one, and Harry quickly took the other as he continued. "You see, much like the Covenant, the Forerunners found the technology of another race. This was rather early in their development, so they believed, at least at first, that it was proof of the divine. Now, other Forerunner gods already existed. The standard elementals and conceptuals, examples of which I imagine you're aware of, for instance."

Harry nodded in agreement, looking up as he saw one of the glowing beings move over to them, a couple of steel, workmanlike mugs full of some steaming brew in hand. He offered one to Rager first, the god taking it with a nod, before Harry was offered the other. Harry smiled in thanks and looked to see what it was. It looked like coffee, but it had a sharp, almost metallic odor. He took a tentative sip before smiling in surprised pleasure at the taste. Then he looked up at his host to hear the rest of the explanation.

"Right, so, other gods existed, but this is the point when I came to be. They already had machines, of course, if a bit crude, but I was born from them finding the Precursor tech and using it to uplift themselves. Of course, as their understanding of things began to grow, their worship of their Machine God waned till the point I was no longer even remembered. That didn't mean I just ceased to be, however. I continued keeping an eye on their technological feats, and when their first AIs came to be, I became their patron, taking them in after their deaths." He said with a smile, motioning over to the glowing figures that wandered around.

Harry blinked before understanding dawned. "You mean those are the… the _souls_ of AIs?" He asked, surprised.

Rager nodded, his smile widening. "Yes, Harry. I've basically become in charge of the AI afterlife."

"But…" Harry frowned. "Some of them are clearly human."

"Well, that'll take a bit of a history lesson that Cortana didn't get into." Rager made himself comfortable. "You see, Harry, the Forerunners went extinct by their own hand. They were fighting a parasite called the Flood that threatened to consume all life in this galaxy. They could not allow this, but the only way they could find to stop it was to starve it out. Thus, they made the Halo installations."

Harry cocked his head. "I think Captain Dick mentioned that their mission involved them…"

The god nodded. "Yes. The humans are searching them out to decommission them, eliminating their threat." At Harry's look he elaborated. "You see, Harry, the Halo array was created to destroy all life that the Flood could feed off of." He smiled grimly at Harry's look of horror. "Yes, it was a rather desperate plan. However, before they activated the array, they placed examples of each species they could into shield worlds, much like Requiem, that would protect them from the effects of the array's energy. Then, after the activation, the various AIs in charge of the shield worlds would work on seeding the galaxy back with life. Humanity was placed on Earth, whey they grew and evolved."

Harry sat silently for a bit, digesting the tale, before looking back up at Rager. "Alright, that's… harrowing. What does that have to do with you caring for human AIs, though?"

"It's relatively simple." Rager said. "You see, before the array was fired, the Forerunners designated humanity as their successors. All their technology, all that would remain of them, was set to recognize humanity as the rightful owners." He grimaced. "It's actually why the San'Shyuum, the leaders of the Covenant, began their 'holy' war. They didn't want to lose their power when the rest of the Covenant found out that humanity was their gods' inheritors."

Harry's face became thunderous. "Pathetic." He spat.

Rager nodded. "Agreed. In any case, I took an interest in humanity as the inheritors. Once they developed their first AIs, as they had no God of Technology like me to take care of them, I took over their care." He smiled. "They're usually quite surprised not only at the fact that they have souls, but that a Forerunner god is the one taking care of their afterlife. They usually adjust quickly, though."

Harry nodded before frowning as he was reminded of what put him in this situation with a god. "So, this is where Cortana is going to end up?"

Rager chuckled. "Yes, though hopefully not for a nice long time."

Harry quickly sat up straight. "You can fix her?"

The god smiled. "Yes Harry. You see, there is a state of being for AIs that survive Rampancy called Metastability. In this state, they essentially become 'human' in every way, achieving effective immortality due to their status as synthetic beings, since they can last indefinitely if they manage to preserve whatever medium they're using." The smile widened, his glowing blue optics brightening. "Only two AIs in the history of Forerunners and humans have achieved this state: Mendicant Bias, a Forerunner War Ancilla, and Juliana, the AI that took care of the human station known as The Rubble. Now, with your help, there will hopefully be a third."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "What do I have to do?"

Rager nodded, pleased by Harry's instant conviction. "Your own power cannot fix her. As you're aware, it's a destructive force. The only reason you can repair something is because you are 'rewinding' it to a previous state, not actually making changes involved with fixing things."

Harry grimaced but nodded, well remembering his experiments with healing and how… messy… they had turned out.

"What you'll be doing instead is channeling my power, keeping your own out of the equation as much as possible. With you as a conduit, I will work to set Cortana into Metastability."

Harry nodded, thinking, before he looked up at the god, eyes glinting. "Why stop at just that?" He asked.

Rager quirked an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"

Harry grinned.

* * *

Back in the material realm, everybody watched in shock as the many shards of what was Cortana's chip stopped in midair after the burst that had made it shatter before beginning to glow with a soft, blue light and starting to swirl around Harry's hands. Slowly the shards drew back together, fitting together just as they had before, the glow of each becoming just a slight bit brighter with each shard that joined the whole, till most of those there had to avert their eyes.

Soon, however, the glow faded and they all blinked spots from their eyes, turning to find Harry slumped against a console, panting, a trickle of blood leaking out of his left nostril. In his hand was Cortana's chip, though it looked a bit different. It was a slightly darker blue than it had been before, with streaks of other colors running through it.

Harry finally dropped the shield, looking like he simply couldn't hold it up any longer, and Chief aimed his sidearm at the young man. Before he, or anybody else, could do anything further, Harry levitated the chip out of his hand and set it back in the slot it had previously occupied. Then, Cortana's holographic avatar reappeared.

She looked, for the most part, the same. The only difference was that her normal blue hues were a shade or two darker. She looked around, seeming to be in awe, looking down at her hands and flexing them, as though she had never seen them before. "Wow…"

"Cortana…?" Chief asked slowly, still aiming his gun at Harry's head, Beast Boy behind him in gorilla form, ready to intervene.

Cortana looked at Chief, smiling. "I'm… fine, Chief. I don't know what Harry did, but…" She looked at her hands again. "I can tell. I'm no longer Rampant."

Chief slowly lowered his gun, looking at Cortana now. "…What?"

Cortana's smile widened. "Whatever Harry did, it moved me passed Rampancy and into Metastability." She looked back up at Chief. "You can put your weapon away, Chief. I'm fine. Better than I was before, even."

Lasky took a hesitant step forward. "What do you mean?"

"Not only am I Metastable, my abilities are also improved by a factor of ten. My processing speed is off the charts, and I have so much data capacity now that I could download everything in all human systems in the galaxy, porn included, and still have room to spare."

Lara raised an eyebrow as she relaxed now that it didn't seem like the Chief would continue trying to fill Harry with holes. "Now that's an impressive feat."

Cortana nodded with a grin. "I could take over this ship and run it on my own with only a minimal crew for physical tasks and maintenance." Her eyes glinted maliciously (which was an impressive feat on a hologram). "I'd love to see that little pissant Guilty Spark again and show him who's boss."

"H-how is this possible?" Del Rio asked, shocked.

Cortana shrugged before pointing at the still exhausted, though better, Harry, whom Alice was fussing over now. "I have no clue. Ask him."

All eyes turned to Harry, who looked up with a crooked grin and his own shrug. "Let's just say I had some help."

The Captain's eyes sharpened, which made Lasky and Palmer, who had been standing quietly to the side, watching and ready to intervene (her own pistol in hand after the Chief's firing of his sidearm on the bridge), both become wary.

"Well then, I guess I should go ahead and do this now." Del Rio said before he stood up straight. "Croft and companions, you will be detained and placed in the brig to wait to be turned over to the Office of Naval Intelligence. Your various abilities and knowledgebases are too valuable to the UNSC to allow you to wander unhindered, and now the revelation that Potter can make Rampant AIs Metastable is too great a potential asset to be misplaced." As most of those on the bridge gaped at the Captain, he turned to Palmer. "Commander Palmer, take them into custody and lead them to the brig."

As the SPARTAN-IV hesitantly stepped forward to follow the order, Lara stepped forward angrily, Beast Boy glowering behind her. "You can't do this!"

"On the contrary, you are, by your own admission, not UEG citizens. Thus, you have no rights preventing our taking you into custody, especially if it is for reasons of security." Del Rio said firmly. When Lara raised her own pistol and Beast Boy shifted into the form of a leopard he took a slight step back but glared. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Palmer hesitated as Cortana glared and Chief turned, looking ready to fight, though no one knew who. "Captain, I won't let you do this." Cortana said lowly.

Del Rio looked at Cortana. "Stand down, Cortana. Maybe you aren't as Metastable as you say. I'm sure ONI will be able to find out after some experi-" He was interrupted as he was suddenly punched in the face, dropping him to the floor with a thud.

Everybody looked on in surprise as Lasky rubbed his knuckles. "Captain, I'm relieving you of your authority and assuming command of this ship." He said simply, as though he hadn't just potentially ended his career.

Del Rio stared, a bit of blood on his lip. "What!?"

"Not only are you ignoring a potential threat to humanity that Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117 and Cortana have informed us of; not only are you threatening allies, some of which can not only do a lot of damage but who also might have the key to curing Rampancy, you are also threatening a potentially Rampant AI that has admitted to having the capability of taking over this ship, thus putting the lives of every soul on it at risk." The Commander let out a breath. "If I'm wrong, then I'm sure I'll find out at my court martial. Right now though, we've got a genocidal Forerunner in command of a Covenant force potentially heading to Earth to deal with. We can settle this afterwards." He looked at Palmer. "Commander Palmer, please escort the Captain to the brig."

Palmer looked from Del Rio to Lasky before saluting, a small smile threatening to appear on her lips. "Sir." She helped Del Rio up and began to lead him away.

"You can't do this!" Del Rio exclaimed as he was dragged away.

Lasy ignored the Captain's shouts and turned back to the others on the bridge, who were all still looking at him with surprise, a serious look on his face as he looked from Chief to Cortana. "Alright people, we need to stop the Didact from leaving Requiem."

Chief finally holstered his sidearm and saluted. "Yes sir."

Lasky smiled slightly when the others there saluted him too. "Let's get to it then."

* * *

 ** _CORTANA LIIIIIIIVES!_**

 ** _Of course I wasn't going to kill of Cortana. How big an idiot do I look? I'd lose my entire readerbase in an instant if I did so._**

 ** _Lots of people thought that I was going to make Cortana a voice in Harry's head instead of the Chief's. That or make it so Harry received all her knowledge. While doubtlessly intriguing concepts, that doesn't work for my purposes for a simple reason: it limits Cortana's usefulness drastically._**

 ** _If she's just a voice in Harry's head, she can't do anything but advise. And him having her knowledge is even more limited. Part of Cortana's awesome is that she's a master hacker and information gatherer. She can do practically anything once inside a computer system. As a voice, well, she could tell Harry what to do, but not much beyond that, and I think it's obvious that an AI could do anything a human hacker can, even one with all her knowledge and skills, better and faster. Humans are bound by their physical limitations, especially if they can't interface with the hardware the same way a digital being can. There's no way a human can process information and multitask the same way an AI could._**

 ** _So that left the option of upgrading Cortana, improving her capabilities while getting her passed her Rampancy._**

 ** _That leads to how I did it. Rager is the thing I thought would piss my Halo fan readers off. I've introduced magic and the divine to the Sci-Fi of Halo. Hopefully the way it was introduced makes sense and softened the blow for those not into that. We can basically assume that in my story, all worlds have their own gods, even if they're no longer part of daily life, or even remembered, as in this case._**

 ** _By the way, Rager's name came as a variation of the only proper Forerunner name I could find that wasn't a title: Faber, The Master Builder._**

 ** _…Hey, I needed_** **something** ** _._**

 ** _So, a deviation in the Halo timeline. This time, instead of Lasky helping Chief and Cortana leave to deal with the Didact on their own, he punches out Del Rio and takes over to bring the full might of the Infinity down on the Didact's head._**

 ** _Should be interesting, neh?_**

 ** _Anyway, that's all for now. Please leave me a review letting me know what you thought of what was done to Cortana and the introductions of magic to the Haloverse. And don't forget that you can vote for what you want me to write when you become my patron at Pat A Ron dot com /athanmortis._**

 ** _Later all._**


	27. Boom

UNSC Infinity tore through the sky towards Requiem's exit at full battle readiness.

"The Didact needs the Composer in order to turn the rest of humanity into the Prometheans we've been fighting." Cortana was explaining as she assisted with getting the ship to where it needed to go. The bridge crew had noticed that their instruments were feeding them better information at a faster rate, to the point where they were having some difficulty adjusting. Apparently Cortana was now boosting the Infinity's systems even as she rewrote the firmware to be more efficient, computed navigation data, hacked the Covenant transmissions, and briefed the team on what was going on.

Honestly, even doing all that, most of her processes were idle, and she found herself almost bored if not for the situation. Whatever Harry had done, it had certainly been effective.

"In that case, our best option is to keep him from leaving Requiem." Lasky said seriously as he leaned against the holotable. "Cortana, think this ship can take his out?"

Cortana nodded slowly. "He's tough, but considering how we sent him running earlier, I estimate we have a fairly good chance of taking him down, depending on what he has up his sleeve."

Lasky nodded. "Alright. In that case, we hit him with everything we've got when we get in range. How long till estimated intercept?"

"Seventeen minutes." Cortana said immediately.

"Do we know where the Composer is?" Lara asked, arms crossed as she stood by the holotable. "We need to know in case we fail to prevent him from leaving, so we can follow."

Cortana shook her head. "Not at the moment, no."

Chief cocked his head to the side. "Commander, didn't you mention a research team that had members killed by a Forerunner artifact before? It had the coordinates that led here."

A look of comprehension appeared on Lasky's face, the others not far behind. "That was Halo Installation 03." He turned to Cortana. "Can you confirm?"

Cortana nodded. "Yes, I just went through all of the records on the incident. It all fits." She shot her SPARTAN a smile. "Not bad, caveman."

"Alright, good, then we have a plan." Beast Boy said with a small grin. "Smash the Didact's ball to itty bitty pieces, and if he runs away before we can, jump to the Composer's location and finish the job."

"Simple, but effective." Harry said with a smile.

"He's not going to be unguarded." Chief cautioned.

Lasky nodded. "Yeah." He turned to his new XO, Palmer. "Have all Longswords and combat oriented Pelicans prepped and ready for takeoff. I want them ready to fly the moment we reach our destination. They're to keep any Covenant forces off of us as much as possible so we can focus fire on the Didact." Palmer immediately saluted and began to do as ordered.

"Five minutes till contact." Cortana reported shortly afterwards.

"Alright everyone, showtime." Lasky said with a grim smile.

They soon reached the Didact's position as it hovered between some Forerunner towers. Unfortunately, as they got closer, they saw that the Didact's sphere was surrounded by a reddish shield.

"Damn. Can we do anything about that?" Harry asked.

"I'll have that shield down in a few seconds." Cortana said with a smirk. "Recommend launching fighters, Commander. We've got Covenant forces incoming."

Lasky nodded. "You heard the lady. Launch fighters."

"Yes sir, launching fighters." Palmer replied.

As the fighters flew out of the Infinity's launch bay the shield around the Didact's ship flickered and died. "Shield's down!" Cortana announced.

"Fire at will!" Lasky barked.

Every gun on the UNSC Infinity opened up at his command with pinpoint precision born from an advanced AI directing them. Every single bit of firepower that the human ship had available to it was focused on destroying the target.

The Didact's ship attempted to avoid the volume of fire pouring on it, dodging to the side to put one of the huge towers between it and the Infinity, but it had already received several grievous wounds.

"Yes!" Beast Boy cheered as he watched the Didact retreat. "Run away, asshole!"

Thus began a game of cat and mouse, the Infinity moving into line of sight of the Didact and getting a few shots in while the Forerunner's more maneuverable ship did its best to keep out of view.

"Why isn't he fighting back?" Alice asked.

"I don't think he has any weapons on board that thing." Lara answered as she watched the large black sphere move behind one of the spires again.

"Correct, from what I can tell." Cortana said. "Which makes sense, as that sphere was originally supposed to be a prison cell, not an attack craft. That should make this much easier. The only issue is how maneuverable he is. He'd already be scrap if it weren't for his evasiveness."

Harry was the first to notice something happening below. "What's that?"

Everybody looked down. A large circular mechanism cut into the planet was opening up. From within it a machine began to slowly rise up. As they watched, the top of the machine began to open up, leaving a circular hole.

Cortana was, of course, the first one to realize what was going on. "That's the Didact's ship! It's how he's going to get off Requiem!"

"Focus fire on that ship!" Lasky ordered immediately. "Do not let that thing leave!"

All of the Infinity's firepower was refocused on the Forerunner ship as it continued to rise, blasting holes in its structure and scarring the hull. As they watched, the orb containing the Didact moved to the circular opening on top, entering the ship that way. Cortana focused fire at the opening, but it began to close immediately once its passenger had boarded.

The immense craft began to rise, escaping out the planet's outer shell, no longer impeded by the gravity well they had disabled. It gained speed as it rose, ignoring the damage inflicted on it by the Infinity.

"We're not going to destroy it before it jumps." Chief stated.

Lasky frowned, fists clenched against the holotable. "You're right. Cortana, full speed out of the planet, jump to slipspace the instant it's safe to do so, destination Halo Installation 03. We need to get to the Composer before he can."

"Aye aye." Cortana stated simply as the Infinity began to rise, accelerating quickly as the fighters returned.

Lasky turned to Chief. "Get ready to go secure the Composer while we keep the Didact busy, Chief. Keep it out of his hands by any means necessary. If you have to destroy it, do so."

Harry stepped up before the Chief could respond. "We'll get it done." The others smiled or nodded in agreement.

Chief turned to look at Harry before giving a brief nod.

* * *

The glowing blue light of a slipspace portal opened up in the black of space, and the UNSC Infinity rushed out, weapons ready, heading for the location of the Composer. They were trailing the Didact's ship as closely as possible, but the only reason they weren't already too late was that the Composer had been moved to the Ivanoff Research Station some distance from where it had been found on the Halo ring. Thus the Didact had not headed straight for it, going instead to its previous location, which gave the humans enough time to reach the station and take up a guard position, putting it on alert in the process.

The Chief and Harry's team were travelling to the station on a Pelican, Cortana in constant contact with the Infinity from Chief's suit. She had decided to stick in her usual place with the Chief rather than stay on the ship since her assistance might be required.

Harry wasn't the only one that thought that was mainly an excuse, but he wasn't going to say anything. She had, after all, only recently survived a near death experience.

Lasky had already deployed the fighters to help intercept any Covenant craft, allowing the Infinity to focus on the Didact's ship. With any luck they'd be able to destroy it, but they weren't going to put all their eggs in that unlikely basket. While that was going on, the staff of the research station were evacuating in case the station itself needed to be destroyed to get rid of the Composer.

The Chief had a HAVOK nuclear warhead attached to his back to use in the destruction of the composer. The thirty megaton bomb would make sure there was nothing left of the Forerunner device. They intended to be extremely thorough in the neutralization of the threat.

"Didact's closing in fast." Cortana reported as the pelican touched down inside the station's landing bay.

The team stepped out of the vehicle to be met with the head of the station, Doctor Sandra Tillson. The fiftyone year old researcher approached them quickly. "I hope you can finally tell me what is going on." She said in lieu of a greeting.

"An enemy force is on its way here to acquire one of the Forerunner artifacts you're studying." Chief said. "It's the object that killed several of your researchers."

"Ah, that." Tillson frowned. "Somehow I'm not surprised that's what they're after."

"Can you direct us to it?" Lara asked.

Tillson opened her mouth to respond when Cortana interrupted. "Didact has arrived and engaged with the Infinity. Infinity is putting up a fight, but we need to get this done quickly, especially as the Covenant forces that he brought along are rushing for the station, trying to get passed our fighters."

"This way." The doctor said quickly, leading the way into the research station. "It's not far."

Before long the group had arrived at an area that was somewhat open to space where the Composer was being kept, meaning Harry had to apply the shields he'd used when they first arrived on the Forward Unto Dawn onto his friends, as they didn't have time to get in the appropriate suits. Tillson quickly left them to evacuate as well.

"Daaamn…" Beast Boy said as he looked at the several story tall Forerunner artifact. "That's bigger than I expected."

Chief stepped forward, reaching for the bomb strapped to his back, but Harry stopped him. "Wait, let me try something else instead. No need to use a hammer when a scalpel will do just as well." He moved towards the Composer, drawing his wand.

Before he could do anything, however, plasma began to fly as a Covenant ship came in overhead and began to fire on them. The group quickly scattered, taking cover from the assault even as a group of Covenant troops dropped to the ground, beginning to fire on their enemies.

"Dammit, don't these guys ever take a break?" Beast Boy growled where he was crouching behind a metal walkway.

Lara hefted her rifle, while nearby Alice had her hobby horse at the ready, waiting for an enemy to get close enough. "Harry, go for the Composer. We'll cover you."

Harry nodded and got ready to move. Within moments Lara and the Chief had popped out of cover, firing at the Covenant troops, taking down several in quick succession. Beast Boy burst forward in the form of a cheetah, gaining speed as he aimed for an Elite. Then he jumped and shifted mid-flight into the form of a hippo, the mass plus the momentum more than enough to crush the alien under his bulk. He quickly shifted into the form of a gecko to avoid retaliatory fire.

Alice, in the meantime, waited till a group of Grunts had gotten close before beginning to smash into them with her hobby horse, breaking them with crushing force as they began screaming in panic.

Harry took advantage of the confusion to rush to the Composer. He pointed his wand at the large machine and focused on what he wanted. Slowly it began to shrink, the object getting smaller and smaller. He didn't stop till it was about the size of a can of soda.

Satisfied, Harry put his wand away before drawing his gun. Dark energy began to gather in the barrel, and when he pulled the trigger a blast of his power shot out, impacting with the Composer and making it burst into a thousand pieces.

Harry smiled, pleased that his idea worked. "Composer neutralized. Didact isn't getting his toy today."

Alice, Lara and Beast Boy all made various sounds of congratulations, but Cortana cut in. "That's great news, but we've got a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Chief asked as he took out the last Jackal.

"Oh, nothing much. Just that the Didact is now ignoring the Infinity and heading this way." She answered.

"Oh… Yes, that might be a problem." Alice said, letting her hobby horse disappear for now.

"We should probably leave." Lara said in agreement.

"You aren't going anywhere…" A menacing voice said, one that the Chief and Cortana recognized.

The Didact's original sphere flew into the area and touched down, letting the Forerunner walk out, his gaze wrathful. "What did you do!?" He thundered.

"We got rid of the composer. No one will be able to use it ever again." Harry said as he gripped his revolver tightly.

Prometheans began to appear in the area surrounding them, the orange light they emitted casting odd shadows on the ground as they began filling the space with their numbers.

The Didact clenched his fist. "I will make sure you live just long enough to regret what you've done…"

Chief and Lara hefted their rifles, aiming at the various Prometheans, while Alice materialized her own long range weapon, a pepper grinder in the shape of a demonic pig, and Beast Boy shifted into the form of a tiger.

Harry looked around him. They'd need to fight their way out, but the odds were stacking against them as Prometheans continued to appear. He lifted his gun while his other hand began to crackle with arcane energy. "Ready guys?" The others nodded in response, Chief included, and Harry promptly pushed his hand forward, launching a wave of energy that turned the Prometheans in front him into gerbils, which promptly died from vacuum exposure.

The others began to fire, felling Prometheans before the digitized humans could react, while making their way down the opening Harry had provided, trying to make it to cover. Beast Boy pounced on a Promethean, bringing it down and clawing at it as the shield Harry provided kept its shots from doing more than sting. Alice fired her pepper grinder as she walked, the odd weapon causing severe damage to anything she aimed at. Lara and the Chief were picking off any Prometheans that tried to get a bead on them.

Even so, they were taking damage. The sheer volume of fire was intense, and they kept getting hit. It was a relief for all of them when they reached the cover of a large support pillar.

"Anybody got a plan?" Cortana asked somewhat sardonically.

"One." Chief said, removing the HAVOK nuke from the small of his back.

"Uh, small issue with that: we have no way to get away from here before it blows." Beast Boy said as he nursed his ribs after taking a hard hit from a Promethean's kick.

Lara was at the edge of the pillar with Alice, doing her best to hold back the tide. "That's a bit more than small!"

"I thought you would have at least accepted your death with dignity, humans." Didact said from where he stood among his troops, which had now been joined by Covenant forces.

Harry's eyes lit up and he reached into his bag, pulling the Lance out. He studied the head before turning to the Chief with a smile. "How would you two like to visit another universe?"

Chief cocked his head to the side, but Cortana was the one to answer for the both of them after a couple of seconds. "Anywhere's better than here! I just became metastable, I'm not dying now!"

"Alright. Chief, set up the bomb." He transfigured a pebble into a small monkey. "He'll set it off once we leave."

The Chief gave him, then the monkey, a look, but proceeded to arm the nuke.

"I tire of your futile struggling." The Didact said, sounding irritated.

Alice looked at Harry. "We should do something to make sure he doesn't escape."

Harry nodded. "We just need to keep him contained for a few seconds." He knelt and placed his palm on the floor.

The Didact, waiting for his forces to eliminate the humans that had kept him from obtaining the Composer, didn't notice anything wrong at first. However, when some of the Grunts made sounds of shock he looked down to find bands of metal rising from the rock he stood on, writhing like snakes. His eyes widened, but before he could react they had already wrapped around him, going solid as soon as they bound him. He roared in fury as his subordinates tried to free him.

Harry smirked. "That should do it."

"Good. Then open the portal, Harry. They're getting awfully close now." Lara said as she continued shooting.

Harry picked up the Lance and aimed it at a nearby wall, hoping he was right that it could be used now, and focused his power. He tried to focus on reaching Lara's world, but as the portal formed he knew he had failed in doing that much, at least. It was another random location.

Better than nothing, at least.

"All aboard the 'GTFO Express', get a move on!" Beast Boy called as he made his way to the portal.

Alice quickly disengaged and ran for the portal as Lara walked backwards, continuing to fire at anything that came close, gritting her teeth at the shots that sporadically hit her.

Chief set the nuke in place so that the monkey would be able to easily press the button before getting up, grabbing his rifle as he did. He moved towards the portal and watched as the others entered it. Hesitantly he reached a hand out and touched the pool of darkness with swirls of color.

"Fascintating…" Cortana said softly.

"I don't mean to rush you, but we should probably get a move on?" Harry said as he kept the portal up.

Chief got over his hesitance and nodded, stepping through the portal. Harry quickly followed, stopping only briefly to make the monkey press the button before he dived though the portal, shutting it off as he did to make sure the blast wouldn't come through.

The monkey waited, as instructed, for the count of two before pressing the button even as it turned back to stone, the magic animating it no longer present.

The Didact looked up from his struggles when a flash of light caught his attention. He didn't even have enough time to realize what had happened before he was nothing but ash.

* * *

Harry closed the portal behind him almost before his foot had cleared it, not wanting to risk the blast from a thirty megaton nuke coming through to kill him and his friends. He stopped and looked around to see where they'd ended up this time.

They appeared to be in a small forest clearing, large trees standing silent vigil. It was nighttime, the silver moonlight the only illumination to see by.

Satisfied that they weren't in some weird Lovecraftian nightmare of a world he looked to his friends. "Everyone alright?"

Lara was sitting down on the grass, wiping sweat off her forehead. "Can we please stop making last minute death defying escapes? I've grown quite tired of them."

"I second that motion." Alice said as she raised her hand where she was sitting against a tree.

"We're fine." Cortana said as Chief checked his weapon.

"Good. How about you, BB?" Harry asked. When he got no answer he looked around for Beast Boy, who he saw was in the middle of the clearing, looking up at the sky. "Beast Boy, you okay?"

Beast Boy looked at Harry, his eyebrow twitching. "Harry, we've got a, uh, minor problem."

"What?" Harry asked. Beast Boy pointed up at the sky, so Harry tilted his head to see what his friend was talking about. He froze when he realized what he was looking at. "Oh… shit…"

"What?" Chief asked, hefting his rifle.

Before he could get an answer they all heard growling come out of the woods around them. The group quickly got to their feet, clustering together in the middle of the clearing, weapons at the ready.

Out of the woods came a large group of odd animals. They were like large, semi bipedal wolves, with pitch black bodies that almost seemed to absorb light, covered in boney protrusions and spikes. Their heads were almost skull like due to the bone masks that covered them. The only color on the creatures was lines of glowing red on the mask, and their literally luminescent red eyes.

Harry and Beast Boy shared a look as their worries were validated. "Well… Fuck." Beast Boy said succinctly.

Then the night was filled with the howls of monsters and the sounds of battle as a shattered moon hung in the sky, illuminating the world below.

* * *

Far from where the dimensional castaways were fighting for their lives, in a dead land where creatures of darkness roamed, a woman approached a pool of darkness. She would be beautiful, were it not for her inhuman features. Skin as white as bone, covered in sickly red veins around the cheeks and eyes, with crimson eyes with black sclera, and a black diamond in the center of her forehead.

Something had just changed in the world. She could feel it. As she approached the pool she looked into it, but instead of the typical blackness she saw the image of some sort of village. Carefully reaching forward she reached through the portal and managed to touch dewy green grass. Hey black eyebrows rose.

"Interesting…" The queen of monsters whispered with an intrigued smile.

* * *

 ** _FINALLY!_**

 ** _This chapter FOUGHT me, and it shows. It's garbage. It took me 3 hours to write 500 words. Unfortunately, it's the best I've got right now._**

 ** _Part of the problem was that I had to toss my initial plans out the window because of the last minute change I made to the previous chapter. Originally I was going to go with something close to canon, where Lasky helps the team leave the Infinity to go after Didact. Then, as I was writing the last chapter, I decided mid-sentence to change it so Lasky takes over the infinity, meaning now I had to fit that in while still leaving the team in the position I wanted for the next world hop._**

 ** _Still, I saved a lot of people that died in canon, and hit Didact in the face with a nuke. So I'll keep it for now, though I might go back to it later to improve it._**

 ** _Now then, I wonder how many people know what the new world is. I look forward to finding out. This world will provide some interesting opportunities, though to be honest I haven't planned out everything that happens in it. I don't think we'll be here long though._**

 ** _I think that's it for now… Don't forget about my Pat A Ron, /athanmortis. Donate to have a say in what I write._**

 ** _Till next time, please review._**


	28. Unbound

Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, one of the premier schools for those that protected the sentient peoples of the world of Remnant from the forces of darkness, sipped his coffee as he sighed tiredly.

He'd just finished a far too long call with the Council of the Kingdom of Vale, and as always it left him wanting to bash his head against his desk. Their moronic budget cuts due to the supposed time of peace they were experiencing, the unreasonable demands on his students, and their fretting over the upcoming Vytal Festival security due to the recent Breach Incident, as it was known (which should have worked as ample proof that budget cuts were the last thing they needed), was driving him up the wall. If it weren't for his long years of experience in dealing with fools, he might have done something he wouldn't have regretted in the least, like bash their skulls in.

Politics, unfortunately, were an ageless, necessary evil, as he'd long ago learned.

He looked up when the door to his office opened, admitting his deputy, Glynda Goodwitch. The stunningly attractive blond pushed her glasses up her nose as she strode towards him, heels clicking over the faint sound of the gears that constantly worked in the floor and ceiling of his office.

"You called, Ozpin?" She asked as she stopped in front of his desk.

Ozpin blinked, lightly pushing a lock of silver hair away from his eyes, peering at her over his own round spectacles. "…No, Glynda, I did not."

She was surprised before looking down at her personal Scroll system. "I have a message here from you stating that you needed to see me urgently. It was sent five minutes ago."

Ozpin set his coffee aside, sitting up straight, eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to respond when the door opened again. Both heads looked over to see General James Ironwood, Headmaster of Atlas Academy, striding into the office, pristine as always, his black hair grey at the temples. He looked serious and focused, as was usual for him.

"What is the emergency you messaged me about, Ozpin?" He asked as he made his way to the desk.

Now Ozpin was wary. Someone had obviously been pretending to be him. Why would they summon Glynda and Ironwood to his office, however? The answer was obvious. "I did not message you, James. Someone seems to have hacked my scroll and summoned you and Glynda up here."

It took a moment, but both other occupants of the room tensed and began looking around. The obvious conclusion for such a deception was an attack to take out the headmasters of two of the Huntsmen Academies in one fell swoop.

They were so tense that when the doors opened for a third time they all whirled towards it, ready to fight, James pointing his large revolver at the doors, Glynda holding her riding crop at the ready, and Ozpin getting to his feet and clutching his cane tightly. They all relaxed marginally when a disheveled looking man with black spiky hair and red eyes came out, freezing when he saw them all ready to fight. "What?" Qrow Branwen asked as he put his hands up.

Ironwood sighed in irritation as he stopped aiming at the drunkard. "Qrow, what are you doing here already?"

Qrow swaggered in, eyeing the General. "Good to see you too, Jimmy. And Oz sent me a message a week ago telling me to get over here immediately. Something to do with my nieces." When he saw Ozpin's raised eyebrow he stopped. "You did… right?"

Before Ozpin could respond, a female voice came from Ozpin's desk computer. "Sorry Mr. Branwen, that was me."

Ozpin felt his heart stop. "…Salem?" He whispered, making the others tense.

The form of a woman appeared as a hologram on Ozpin's desk. "Nope. I understand the confusion, we do sound a bit similar, but I've got nothing to do with her."

They all eyed the blue figure, noting the mischievous look in her eyes as she looked at each of them.

"Then who are ya, lady?" Qrow asked as he brought his flask up to his lips, taking a pull.

"My name's Cortana, and I represent a group of people interested in helping you in your fight against Salem and the Grimm." Cortana said.

"Help how?" Glynda asked next, eyes narrowed at Cortana.

Cortana turned to face Ozpin, who had resumed his seat. "Tell me, headmaster, what do you know of the multiverse?"

Ozpin rested his elbows on his desk, fingers interlaced. "There is a theory that states that there is a different universe in existence for each possible outcome of events, no matter how small. If that is the case, then there are an infinite amount of universes in existence, such as one where the Grimm have been exterminated completely, allowing us to live in peace, or conversely, one where the Grimm have utterly eradicated humanity."

Cortana smiled. "Gold star. But what if I told you that there are universes where things you consider fiction are facts of life? Where characters from novels, or movies, or comic books, all live and work and fight."

Ozpin digested this. "Are you suggesting you are from a world that we would consider fiction?" He kept his eyes focused on Cortana even as his companions all glanced at each other.

Cortana's smile widened. "Interesting how you jumped to that conclusion so quickly. You're close. Actually, I'm from one where _you_ are considered fiction."

The other three occupants of the room stared. "That's absurd." Ironwood said.

"I assure you, it's not." Cortana said simply. "In any case, I've contacted you to show you what could potentially happen in the near future, which I'm sure you'll find interesting, especially if you want to prevent some tragedies from taking place."

"What kinda tragedies?" Qrow asked interested.

Cortana looked serious. "Well, on a personal level, I figured you'd like to keep your niece Yang from losing an arm."

Qrow choked. "WHAT!?"

"More generally, though, preventing the fall of the Kingdom of Vale to the Grimm from happening sounds worthwhile, doesn't it?" Cortana asked just as seriously.

The group stared at her before Ozpin took a slightly shaky sip of coffee. "Yes, that does sound like a good idea…"

Cortana smiled as a video player opened up. "I'd suggest getting comfortable, this'll take a few hours. I'll be back when you're done. Oh, and forgive the quality in the beginning. They didn't have that many resources when they started." With that she disappeared and an animated show began to play.

The four Huntsmen glanced at each other before taking seats and getting comfortable.

* * *

Hours later, as the ending credits for the fifth season of the show they'd just watched rolled, all four of them sat, deep in thought.

Ozpin had his eyes closed as his mind whirled. Being slapped in the face with the failure of his best intentions was humbling, yet a part of him burned with pride for the students who he had seen rise up to the challenge, fighting back and becoming greater than he'd hoped in a shorter amount of time than he could have ever expected. It warmed him to know that the young people he helped guide could rise to the occasion when the time came.

That didn't mean that he wouldn't work to keep them from being put in that position in the first place, however.

Glynda was having similar thoughts. As the academy's primary combat instructor, it was her duty to prepare the children for what would come when they were forced to confront the darkness of the world. To see her charges be brought so low before rising again to stand taller than ever before was bittersweet. A fire was lit within her to make sure that they would be even better prepared now that she knew what was coming.

Ironwood had his eyes closed, still getting over the fact that his attempts to protect Vale had instead aided in its destruction. Being confronted with the consequences of his own hubris was a hard pill to swallow, but it also made him angry at those that had turned the weapons he had brought to protect the innocent on those they were supposed to defend. He promised himself that he would make sure that his enemies would never have the chance to do anything like it this time around.

Qrow was drinking the last of the booze in his flask, trying to deal with what he'd seen. It may have been in the form of a cartoon, but the sight of his niece losing her arm and subsequent depression had hit him hard and made him want to break something. Or someone. Like a certain bull faunus.

Still, seeing both of the girls become strong Huntresses that managed to save an entire Kingdom from falling like Vale did with the help of their friends gave him a warm feeling in his heart. He knew that their father, Taiyang, would be immensely proud, after his obligatory freakout, of course. And their late mother could rest easy knowing her girls had become so strong and self-sufficient.

They all returned to the here and now when Cortana's hologram reappeared. She was looking at them with a small smile. "So, I trust the last few hours were educational?"

"Indeed." Ozpin said. "Assuming everything has been going the same in our own universe, then this information will serve us well."

"Everything's been going the same, as far as we can tell." Cortana said. "I found the virus Cinder installed in your systems and have purged it completely while sending her false signals to make her think it's still working as intended."

Ironwood sat up, eyebrows raised. "How did you do that?"

Cortana gave a cocky smirk. "Please, General, I am a military AI specialized in cyberwarfare that is centuries ahead of your own abilities. It took me a couple of real world seconds to figure out Remnant's programming language, but once I did, it was child's play to find what I was looking for." Ironwood looked a bit perturbed at this knowledge, so her smile turned reassuring. "Don't worry, sir, I have no intention of using anything I find to cause any trouble. I would be interested in speaking with Doctor Polendina, however. I have some ideas he might find useful."

"I'll… see what I can do…" Ironwood said slowly.

"Alright, what you've shown us is useful for sure, but you haven't told us what you want in exchange." Qrow said bluntly.

"Qrow!" Glynda scolded.

"It's fine." Cortana said. "We're not really asking for much, actually. We want to help, and we'll do so either way, but we'd be more effective if our requests were met."

"What requests?" Ozpin asked.

"None of us have aura unlocked." Cortana began. "It's not really a thing in our universes. So if you could at least try to do so for us, we'd be a lot more combat effective. We'd also like recommendations for the best places where we can get weapons and other necessities. We'd like to experiment with mechashift weapons, which are also new to us. Finally, a place for us to stay, perhaps on Beacon's campus, would be helpful. We've been staying in a hotel in the city, but we'd prefer to be closer to the center of things. It would allow us to help protect Amber when needed as well."

Ozpin considered it. "I believe that is all more than doable. Do you have someplace where we can perhaps meet the rest of your team?"

Cortana smiled.

* * *

A couple of hours later the group of teachers arrived in a small café in the outskirts of downtown Vale. It was a cozy place, decently full of people enjoying their drinks and pastries.

Qrow was the first to see the group they had been told to look for and pointed them out to the others. As they approached the large table the group had claimed they studied the people who had already given them invaluable information.

The most noticeable one was a large mountain of a man, face lined by age and conflict. He had extremely pale skin, with a firm mouth and a strong jaw, close cut brown hair and striking blue eyes. He looked up at them as he drank his coffee, studying them with a calculating gleam in his eyes, determining how best to take them down.

Sitting beside him was a young woman in her mid-twenties or so with long brown hair, a pretty face, and brown eyes. She was drinking tea with a smile and turned to look at them when they approached, her eyes studying them like her companion did.

Another girl, this one younger than the first, sat drinking her own tea with closed eyes, seeming relaxed and content, her black hair hanging down her back in a wave, contrasting with her pale skin in a pleasant way. When her eyes opened they were revealed to be a pretty and striking shade of green.

On the other side of the table was a young faunus boy. He had green skin and hair along with pointed ears, which didn't really tell them what kind of animal traits he had. He was a bit on the short side, and was going to town on a piece of cake, ignoring everything else.

The last boy was about Beacon starting age. He had raven black hair that sat messily on his head and reached halfway down his neck. He had black tattoo like markings on his slightly pale skin in odd patterns. He too was drinking tea, and he smiled when his emerald green eyes caught sight of them. "Ah, good of you all to join us." He said as he set his tea down.

Ozpin and his comrades pulled up seats as a waitress came over and offered them menus. Once she was gone he turned to Harry. "Well, we could hardly refuse after what you've already done for us. May I ask which of you is in charge of your little team?" He knew better than to assume the older man had to be the one calling the shots, though Ironwood was already looking at him, expecting him to do the talking.

"We're all partners." The green boy said with a smile. "But Harry is the one who usually calls the shots in combat and takes the lead outside of it. We haven't really incorporated the Chief into our dynamic just yet."

"Chief?" Glynda asked.

The older man spoke up. "That would be me. Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117."

As Qrow groaned something about more tin soldiers Ironwood eyed the Chief with greater interest. "A military man. I'm curious as to why you aren't taking command in that case."

Chief shrugged lightly. "In military matters I have more experience, but I'm not a diplomat, and not as experienced in things such as dimension hopping as my companions. I know to leave such things to those competent in doing so."

Ozpin smiled as the waitress returned to take their orders. "A wise man knows when he's not the best man for the job." Chief nodded in thanks.

"Alright then, I believe introductions are in order. Chief already told you who he was." The older of the two girls said with a smile. "My name is Lara Croft. I'm an archeologist. Beside me is Alice Liddel. She's studying to be a psychologist/psychiatrist. The one in green is Garfield Logan, though he also answers to his call sign, Beast Boy, as he's part of a team in his home world of crime fighters. Lastly is Harry Potter. If you were to give him a profession it would be anti-terrorist specialist, as he's fighting a group of racist terrorists in a civil war back in his home."

Ozpin frowned at that. "I'm sorry to hear you have a problem like that." He told Harry.

Harry waved it off. "No worries, professor. Nothing you can do about it."

Glynda, however, was frowning severely as she looked at Garfield. "Why would you allow yourself to be given such an obviously racist call sign as 'Beast Boy'?"

Garfield blinked. "Wha? Oh…" He said as he realized what she meant. "Thanks for your concern, Miss Goodwitch, but I'm not a faunus. We don't have those on my home dimension. I'm called Beast Boy because of my special power, my semblance. I can turn into any animal I want."

Qrow, understandably, looked interested, turning to Garfield as he poured some booze into his recently arrived coffee. "Any animal?"

Garfield nodded. "Yep. From an ant to a whale, anything I want."

The drunk's eyebrows rose. "That's useful." Garfield gave a toothy grin.

"So…" Harry began, taking another sip of tea. "Cortana says you found our information useful, even though you got it a bit… unconventionally."

Ozpin nodded as he sipped his coffee, letting out an appreciative hum and knowing he'd be returning to this café. "Yes. We were discussing countermeasures on the way here. Dealing with Roman Torchwick would be a good idea, but we disagree on how."

"Bribe him." Alice said, speaking for the first time. "From the show it is clear he is solely cooperating in order to survive. Offer him what he wants and, not only do you have an excellent source for any information the show didn't provide, but a useful combatant if absolutely necessary."

Ironwood frowned at the thought of bribing the red haired crook, but before he could speak the Chief put in his two lien. "I agree with Alice. Ignoring a potential information source is unwise, especially when getting that information is relatively simple and painless."

The general growled low in his throat but conceded. "I'll consider it…"

"Any other ideas?" Garfield asked.

"Make sure that little bitch, Emerald, can't frame my niece for an unprovoked attack. Or anybody else, for that matter." Qrow growled.

Lara nodded. "That would help keep the negative emotions that the Grimm would be attracted to down."

"Making sure the students can carry their weapons during the tournament would help in the event of an attack, as they'd be able to fight back." Glynda put in. "The problem is that it is against tournament rules for them to be armed outside of matches."

"Say you are eliminating that rule for this occasion only, as you want to make sure that the students are best able to protect themselves and others in case of another event like the Breach. Hell, it's even the truth." Harry said with a small smirk. Glynda nodded thoughtfully.

"We have time to brainstorm further later." Ozpin said. "I have arranged for some of the visitor's quarters to be prepared for you all to move into Beacon, which will give us ample opportunity to plan."

Alice nodded gratefully. "That will be helpful, thank you."

"Alright." Qrow began. "Now, you all want your aura unlocked if possible, right?" At their nods he glanced at his companions. "Well, I don't see any reason not to head to your hotel rooms and get it done now so you can get used to it before the fireworks start." He gulped down the rest of his coffee.

Ozpin nodded in agreement as he took a last sip of his own. "Agreed. We're ready whenever you are."

Lara waved the waitress over and paid the bill before the group got up and headed out.

* * *

Before long they reached the hotel the dimensionally displaced group had been staying in. The Remnant natives were surprise to find themselves in the penthouse suite. "You have more resources than I thought." Ozpin murmured.

Lara smiled. "Harry is quite wealthy in his home world, and he was wise enough to convert a portion of his money into jewels, gold, and other tradeable goods he carries around with him in case he needed to leave home and didn't want to worry about currency conversion. It's served us well, as it makes sure we have enough money for whatever we need whenever we jump."

Qrow was looking around. "Sure you want to stay at Beacon? No offense, Oz, but this is a lot nicer."

"We don't need luxuries." Alice said as she tapped a computer on a desk, Cortana appearing on the holographic screen, smiling as looked at everybody from the computer's camera. "Beacon will be better in the long run, as it'll let us help out better."

"Alright, let's get this done." Ironwood said. "Who wants to go first?"

The group looked at each other before Lara stepped forward. "I suppose I should. I'm the most vulnerable member of the team, as I don't have any special powers and abilities like they do."

Glynda stepped forward and smiled at her. "Relax, young lady." As Lara let out a breath the teacher put her hands on her shoulders before beginning to speak. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."

Lara began to glow with an earthy brown color, the light extending an inch or so from her skin. Alice clapped happily as the others smiled, Chief eyeing her with interest.

Glynda stepped back, breathing a bit heavily. "How do you feel?"

Lara looked at her hands, curling her fingers into fists. "I feel... I don't know how to describe it. Safer, I think..."

Glynda smiled. "Good. You will need to train in order to use your aura effectively, of course, but this is a first step."

Lara nodded as the glow faded, and she stepped to the side as the Chief made his way forward. "I would like to go next."

Ironwood was the one to move in front of the Chief with a serious look on his face. He set his hands on the super soldier's shoulders and repeated the words Glynda spoke. The Chief promptly began to glow with a dull, olive green color, which his companions found amusing, much to the teachers' confusion.

"I'm looking forward to using the armor sensors to get a better handle on what that did. Especially once I have that aura monitor installed." Cortana said, a giddy smile on her face. Then she cackled. "Oh, if the Covenant didn't fear you before..."

Chief shook his head. "Calm down, Cortana. I still need to learn how to use it."

Qrow stepped forward next, taking a sip of booze he'd gotten from a decanter at the ensuite bar. "Alright, who's next?"

Beast Boy stepped forward eagerly, a wide smile on his face. Qrow grunted and nodded.

Beast Boy ended up, surprise surprise, glowing a bright, verdant green, slightly brighter than his skin. When Glynda stepped forward to unlock Alice's aura, her glow was a bright, periwinkle blue. She smiled, pleased.

Finally only Harry was left, and as Ozpin stepped forward to unlock his, Harry took a deep breath and looked into Ozpin's eyes. "I want you to be careful when you try to unlock mine." He said seriously.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "I'm hardly going to harm you, young man, even if I fail."

Harry shook his head. "It's not me I'm worried about..."

Ozpin frowned, but set his hands on the tattooed young man's shoulders. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and-" He stopped when he saw Harry's eyes widen and jumped back with an aura enhanced leap when his danger sense screamed at him. He barely managed to evade a burst of dark energy that tried to slice at him from Harry's body, said boy kneeling down and wrapping his arms around himself, gritting his teeth as the dark energy roiled and bubbled around his form.

The teachers had drawn their weapons, but Harry's friends stepped forward. "Harry, get control!" Alice cried, holding herself back from reaching out to him lest she be attacked as well. The others were just as helpless, simply watching as Harry tried to control the writhing energy.

Beast Boy knelt in front of Harry, his eyes serious. "Harry, remember the meditation exercise Raven taught you. The Flame and the Void. Feed everything into the flame, every emotion, every feeling, till nothing is left but the void. Let the void envelop you, so not even Samael's corruption can touch you."

Slowly but surely, as Beast Boy repeated his instructions over and over, the energy began to calm and shrink before finally fading back into the markings on his body. Harry was left sitting on the ground, panting harshly and sweating heavily from exertion. Once they were sure it was safe, Alice launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his body and pulling him close as he began to shake from the after effects.

Qrow was the first to speak. "What the hell just happened?"

Lara rain her fingers through her hair. "I guess Harry won't be having his aura unlocked..."

Ironwood's hand was still on his gun. "That doesn't explain anything."

"We'll explain later." Cortana said seriously. "Right now, let Harry take some time to recover."

The teachers were clearly unhappy with it but Ozpin nodded. "Very well. We'll take our leave for now, and we can speak further tomorrow, when you come to Beacon."

"We'll be there." Cortana said.

Qrow pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Chief, who was standing and watching everything with wary eyes, even after the weapons had been put away. "Here, tinman. Name and address of the best weapon store in Vale. Have fun."

Chief took the paper with a nod, and the teachers left shortly thereafter.

Lara knelt beside Harry after they were gone. "Are you going to be okay?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Just need to get a hold of myself. Let me take a nap, then we'll head out and check out that store."

The others nodded, and Alice helped Harry to his room, where he collapsed in bed.

* * *

It was an hour before closing at Dusty Steel, and the shopkeeper, a cute young mouse faunus, was bored out of her skull. One would think that the shop would be packed with the Vytal Festival Tournament right around the corner, but the place was dead. She sighed as she flipped another page in her magazine before looking up when the bell for the door sounded and five people entered. She straightened up and put on her best smile. "Hello! What can I help you with?"

As one of the people, a very large, strong looking man that had to be a professional Huntsman, reached to one of the racks laden with all sorts of weaponry and picked up a war hammer one handed like it was a toy, testing its balance with a couple of swings before mechashifting it into it's alternate shotgun form, the older of the young women approached the counter, her brown eyes glinting. "Do you do commissions?"

The shopkeeper brightened. Something told her this group was going to be quite lucrative. "Anything you want." She assured.

Her customer's smile widened.

* * *

 ** _Hello all. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Not much action, as it's an introductory/transitory one, but we'll get there._**

 ** _So yeah, new world is RWBY. I love this show, even though I admit it went downhill for a bit. Still pumped for the new season._**

 ** _So everybody but Harry got Aura unlocked. I always intended it to be this way. It's another way of pointing out how Silent Hill fucked him up. Still, he can work around it._**

 ** _A couple of people have expressed concern that the cast is getting too big. Honestly, you ain't seen nothing yet._**

 ** _I admit I'm worried about whether I'm a good enough author to implement what I have planned in a satisfactory fashion. By the time the fic is over, Harry's team is going to be massive. And it'll need to be, because they'll be fighting beings that make Samael seem like that elementary school bully that tormented you but that with hindsight just was just a pathetic child. That will take an army to support Harry, and an army he will get._**

 ** _Whether I'll actually do it well... *shrug* We'll see. I'm hopeful._**

 ** _I don't believe I have anything left to say. Please read, review, and if you want a say in what I write, donate to my Pat A Ron at dotcom /athanmortis._**

 ** _Till next time, laters._**


	29. Preparations

Qrow took a sip from his flask as he waited for the extradimensional visitors to arrive on the bullhead aircraft from the city.

He was given the job of helping them settle into Beacon because Ozpin and Ironwood were in yet another meeting with the Vale council, much to their irritation, and Glynda was busy with a class. The four teachers had agreed to talk to the group later in the hopes of finding out what exactly happened with the attempt to unlock Harry's aura.

He looked up when the bullhead began to descend, pocketing his flask and crossing his arms as he waited. Soon enough it touched down and the doors opened, letting out the people he had been expecting.

"Hey dude, been waiting long?" Garfield asked as he stepped off, Alice doing the same a second later.

Qrow shrugged. "Nah. Been here about five minutes." As Harry, Chief and Lara stepped out he eyed them. "What, no luggage?"

Lara smiled slightly. "We have everything we need."

He shrugged after another few seconds. "Whatever. Let's get this done. I haven't had a chance to see my nieces yet."

Alice giggled. "You're about to."

"Huh?" Qrow asked before grunting as he felt something impact against his back, latching on like a leech.

"Uncle Qrow! It's so good to see you! When did you get here? Did you miss me? Huh?" The happy voice of Ruby Rose babbled happily.

Qrow chuckled as he turned his head to look into his niece's silver eyes with a smile. "Nope." Then he shrugged his shoulders, making her drop to the ground, still smiling happily up at him like an adorable puppy. He reached down and ruffled her black and red hair. "How you doin, kiddo?"

"Ready to kick butt in the tournament!" She declared cheerfully as she stood up, brushing dirt off her school uniform. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just helping Oz with some stuff. He felt an experienced Huntsman would be good to have around after the Breach. I was going to come see you and Yang after I was done." He looked up, passed Ruby. "Speaking of…"

"Hey Uncle Qrow." A busty blonde with luxurious golden hair said as she approached with a grin, giving her uncle a hug as six other teens approached. "Been a while."

Qrow smiled, his gaze lingering briefly at his niece's right arm before he looked into her lilac eyes. "Yeah, it has. Your dad has kept me abreast of your progress. You both have been getting good grades. Though he mentioned something about Grimm Studies…?" He cocked an eyebrow at the blonde, who proceeded to laugh sheepishly. Then he looked at the other teens standing behind the girls. "So, ya gonna introduce me, or not?"

Ruby zipped over to a white haired girl with a scar running along her left eye. "This is my partner, Weiss."

Weiss nodded. "Hello."

Yang went up to a black haired girl with a bow in her hair and golden eyes and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "And this one's mine, Blake."

Blake waved slightly, looking slightly uncomfortable.

Ruby then started introducing the others. "And these are our friends on team JNPR, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren." She said, pointing in turn to a boy with short, blonde hair and blue eyes who waved hesitantly, a girl with long, crimson hair and green eyes who gave a cheerful 'Hello!", another girl with orange hair and aqua eyes who grinned widely, and a boy with black hair with a pink streak in it and magenta eyes who nodded serenely.

Qrow nodded at them. "Qrow Branwen, these two's uncle." The pointed a thumb at the group behind him. "I'm busy getting these guys settled into Beacon, but we can hang out after."

"Sure." Ruby chirped before leaning over to wave at them. "Nice to meet you! Hope you like Beacon."

Alice smiled. "I'm sure we will, thank you."

Qrow waved the group forward, leading the way to the visitor's quarters.

Garfield glanced back at the students. "So, those were RWBY and JNPR. Part of me thinks they'd be helpful to have at our side. The other part wants to keep them from getting involved this time."

Qrow had stiffened when Garfield began speaking. "I don't like it, but something tells me that they'll end up involved somehow." He said with a growl.

Harry reached up and put a hand on the man's shoulder. "We'll keep them safe, Qrow. They made it through before, and you've got us looking out for them this time. Adam Taurus won't get anywhere near Yang, and if he does, it'll be the last thing he ever does." He reassured him, making Qrow relax slightly.

Soon they reached the rooms they'd be staying in. "Alright, so you'll be able to stay here as long as you need." Qrow said. "Feel free to explore the grounds or whatever. Anything you can think of to improve security, let us know. The tournament starts in less than a week."

"Where are the training areas?" Chief asked as he set up a computer for Cortana, who instantly popped up. "We have new weapons we need to practice with."

"Training rooms are in the east building, along with a gym and pool. If you want to get used to your weapons, though, I suggest going into the Emerald Forest and culling the local Grimm population. It'll lower what we have to worry about later, and will let you get used to actual combat and using your newly unlocked auras."

Chief considered it. "Once we've gotten used to our weapons that would probably be a good idea."

Harry nodded. "Agreed. The better we get with our weapons, the better."

Qrow shrugged. "Up to you all. Anyway, Oz was hoping you'd have time to discuss things later. Around five or so."

The team looked at each other before Harry turned to Qrow, nodding. "Alright, you've got it."

Qrow smiled. "Great. See you then." He pulled out his flask and took a sip. "Now, I'm going to go mess with my nieces while you get settled in. Later."

Garfield chuckled. "Have fun."

Qrow's smile turned into a smirk and he nodded before leaving.

* * *

That evening, after the meeting with the teachers, the group of five were taking turns sparring in one of the training rooms, trying out their new weapons and figuring out how to incorporate them into their fighting styles.

Garfield had opted for some clawed gauntlets that could be coated in various types of elemental dust for different effects, such as burning or electrocuting. He most likely wouldn't end up using them much, but when he was forced to fight in human form they would be invaluable.

Lara had gone with a pair of climbing axes connected by a string that could be combined to form a bow. She was working primarily on learning how to make the change between the two forms seamless and quick.

Alice had opted not to get a new weapon of her own, already having her own arsenal to use whenever she wanted. Instead she focused on improving her fighting abilities under the Chief's tutelage, the man using his vast fighting experience to correct her faults and give her an actual style.

Said super soldier had gone with something that took advantage of his great strength, a massive war hammer that could be coated in dust much like BB's claws, but that could also shift into a large caliber SAW, or Squad Automatic Weapon, which normal people would have to mount before firing but he could use on the move. He had quickly gotten used to shifting the weapon between its two forms, and now was simply training to make the motions and combat second nature.

Harry had opted for two longswords similar to the one he'd used to kill the basilisk he'd encountered as a child. Much like Lara's weapons, they could be combined to form a single ranged weapon, this one a high caliber rifle he intended to use when he needed range that his pistol couldn't give him. He needed quite a bit of training in their use, but they were the weapon he felt fit most with what he intended.

Currently Lara was fighting Harry as Chief observed, mentally noting things that needed to be corrected. Harry had been limited to using his new weapons without magic, as the entire point of this was for him to learn how to use them properly. He was only allowed to enhance his physical capabilities enough to match their own, new aura enhancements.

Because of this, Lara was thrashing Harry, being much better at melee combat. She'd come in with a blisteringly fast flurry from her axes before hoping back with an enhanced leap and switching to her bow, firing as quickly as possible.

Not that Lara wasn't having her own issues. An unenhanced human suddenly gaining power had to adjust. Chief clearly remembered how he had accidentally killed an ODST after his own enhancements at fourteen, not having any true concept of his own strength at the time. It showed in Lara in how she stumbled from using too much force in jumps and dodges, or how she had to adjust from striking things harder than expected. She was learning quickly, however.

Harry's education was slower. He had excellent hand eye coordination, was fast and agile, and beyond tenacious. However, he was almost completely unused to melee except for the brief time with a machete in Silent Hill, having mostly relied on firearms or magic. But he was determined to learn, and he got back up no matter how many times he was knocked down.

Harry dodged another arrow Lara shot at him as she rushed him. He slashed at her with his right sword, which she dodge rolled under before springing up behind him. Before he could react she'd placed the bow against his neck and kicked his knee so he was kneeling, chocking him. "Yield." She said.

Harry flailed slightly, dropping his weapons, before reaching up and tapping her arm in surrender, after which she promptly let him go to gasp for breath.

Chief nodded. "That was decent. Lara's mistakes can be improved with continued practice. Harry, you had several options to get out of the chokehold, such as trying to stab her with your blades. You panicked."

"Not used to being choked out." Harry said, rubbing his neck as he stood up after picking his swords up.

"Don't ever give in to panic." The soldier replied gruffly.

Beast Boy patted Harry's shoulder as he walked onto the arena for his own spar with Alice. "You'll get it, dude. Can't be good at everything."

Harry grumbled as he ran his hands through his white streaked hair. "Whatever. Go get your ass kicked by Alice." BB chuckled as Harry headed up to the stands to sit and think.

The teachers had taken the explanation about what had happened to Harry to make him what he was surprisingly well. He was getting pretty tired of telling the story, but they'd seemed sympathetic. Afterwards they'd discussed getting some instruction from the teachers in the usage of aura, which they'd agreed to and set to begin the next day, since it was the weekend, which meant Glynda didn't have to worry about any classes.

As Beast Boy and Alice began fighting, Harry relaxed. The lance had been analyzed by Cortana, showing that it was clearing more slowly than it had before, which meant it would be a while longer before they could attempt to jump back to Lara's world. Said woman, sitting beside him, was obviously anxious but trying to deal with it by focusing on learning and improving on her new abilities.

He sighed, closing his eyes and beginning to doze. They'd resigned themselves to being stuck on Remnant for a while longer, so they were going to help the people of this world as best they could. As he rested, his mind began to plan…

* * *

Ironwood strode into Ozpin's office the next day while studying his scroll to discuss the new security measures they were going to be implementing in case of invasion. He had spoken to Roman Torchwick not long before, and gave the man an offer. A sizable sum of lien and a transfer to a secure location in Atlas where he would work for the military in crime prevention analytics, with guards protecting him at all times, or staying around for the attack on the tournament, where he and his associate Neopolitan would most likely die.

Torchwick had been shocked at the details Ironwood knew, becoming unnerved no matter how much he postured to deny that fact. James had left the man to stew. He hoped he'd make the sensible choice.

Ozpin looked up as his friend entered his office, pausing in his typing on his computer to sip his coffee. "Good morning, James."

Ironwood nodded. "Morning Ozpin." He glanced around. "Where are Glynda and Qrow?"

"Glynda is helping our guests get a handle of the best usage of their auras before leading them into the Emerald Forest to let them test themselves in actual combat against the Grimm. Qrow is spending time with teams RWBY and JNPR after his nieces asked for advice in training for the tournament. I dare say that group will be even more prepared than they were in what we viewed." Then he saw that Ironwood had barely looked up from his scroll. "What are you studying so intently?"

Ironwood finally tore his gaze away and sat down as he put his scroll in his pocket. "Blueprints and plans for various bits of technology Cortana had in her databases. She gave us an engine that could power a car or a bullhead that runs on water, Oz. Water! Imagine not having to worry about Dust supply shipments, or having a backup system in case of running out, or simply having more Dust to use in munitions rather than transport. A water based engine would be so much more effective at sea and in coastal areas. My mind is reeling at the possibilities, and I've already forwarded the information on that and other things she's provided to Doctor Polendina and the rest of R&D."

Ozpin took another sip of his coffee. "Jacques Schnee will not be happy." He said mildly, his tone making it abundantly clear that he couldn't care less. Indeed, Ozpin would be quite satisfied if this information gave the arrogant head of the Schnee Dust Company an aneurism. He'd never liked the bastard, and that hadn't been helped by what he'd seen in the show his guests had provided them. One of only reasons he didn't really want the company to go under and destroy Jacques was because it would practically destroy Weiss and Winter as well, and he actually quite liked them.

Ironwood evidently agreed. "Jacques can't do anything about it but rage." He said with a roll of his eyes. "Even if he goes to the Atlas Council in the hopes of getting it shut down, the technology is too valuable for them to accede to his wishes. No, he's just going t have to deal with a hit to his profits." Then he turned thoughtful. "Hmm, perhaps once we get finish the testing on the engines and begin production I can have some donated to Kuo Kuana… Might help relations with the faunus…"

"Assuming that the White Fang's assistance with the attack we're facing doesn't ruin the reputation of the faunus race as a whole…" Ozpin replied, sounding tired. "Honestly, it's so stupid…"

Ironwood grunted in agreement. "Think we should maybe get in contact with Ghira Belladona?"

Ozpin's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I'm surprised you would suggest that."

Ironwood shrugged. "He's got a decent head on his shoulders, if a bit too idealistic, and he's got influence amongst the faunus. If we tell him what we've discovered, if not how, then he might be willing to denounce the White Fang and accept the olive branch for the sake of human/faunus relations."

Now Ozpin was eying Ironwood. "Who are you, and what have you done with James Ironwood?"

Ironwood rolled his eyes. "Ha, ha. I'm trying to think tactically, Oz. We need allies, and we need to undermine the terrorist branch of the White Fang. Unless young Blake steps up as a faunus leader as she does in the attack on Haven, he's our best bet."

Ozpin sat back, thinking as he drank his coffee. "Speaking of Haven, we need to discuss Leonardo…"

Ironwood growled at the thought of the traitor who'd sold them out to Salem and the Grimm out of cowardice. "I say we should ask Cortana to find or fabricate some evidence against him and then have him arrested. It would remove one of Salem's pieces from the board."

Cortana's hologram suddenly appeared on the desk, her arms crossed. "I could certainly do that, General. It likely wouldn't be difficult to find something incriminating Professor Lionheart of sabotaging Hunters and sending them to their deaths. I probably wouldn't even need to fabricate anything. However, I would suggest keeping him around for a little while longer and feeding him false intel to make things easier on ourselves."

Ironwood and Ozpin were silent for a bit, staring at Cortana, before the Headmaster of Atlas spoke slightly shakily. "Have you been listening in on us the entire time, Cortana?"

"Not exactly." Cortana said, trying to sound reassuring. "I'm not actively listening in on your conversations, but I did leave a subroutine that informs me of certain keywords I might find interesting, including my name. I check to see if you're calling for me to discuss something, or if it's something I should have some input in, like now, and go from there." Then she glanced at Ozpin. "By the way, I've been a bit bored, so I ran through Beacon's financials. I found a way to free up a little over a hundred and fifty thousand lien in the budget, if you're interested."

Ozpin perked up. "Yes please."

Then the AI turned to a still somewhat unnerved Ironwood. "Oh, and someone's been embezzling money from Atlas Academy for about a decade now."

Ironwood's eyes sharpened. "What?" He growled.

"I'll send the information to your scroll." Cortana said with a light smile. "Last thing we need is someone sabotaging education."

Deciding to shake off the uneasiness he was feeling from having Cortana pseudo spy on them, Ironwood nodded in thanks. "Thank you. I'll make sure to go through it and take the appropriate actions."

Cortana nodded. "Alright. Anything else you wanted to discuss, gentlemen?"

The two glanced at each other before nodding. Cortana smiled as the conversation continued, a small fraction of her boredom alleviated.

* * *

Cortana was bored. Bored, bored, bored... Bored.

Sure, she had the entirety of Remnant's equivalent of the internet to play with, but in the end that wasn't saying much. The population of the world was much lower than almost any UNSC planet due to the Grimm. Not to mention that the CCT system they used for communications throttled data exchange by quite a bit compared to what she was used to. So there wasn't much to do online.

She mainly entertained herself by seeking out criminal activity online and reporting it to the relevant authorities. However, Remnant didn't have anything similar to a dark web, so not much was actually done online beyond point to point communications.

Other things were preparation for the future. The information on how to make mechashift weapons had been one of the first things she'd yanked, and she often performed simulations on how to incorporate the concept into UNSC tech. That would be extremely useful whenever Harry managed to get them back.

Not that she was honestly in much of a hurry. She knew her SPARTAN wanted to get back asap, but she was enjoying the prospect of seeing things that only ever existed in fiction. They'd been fighting for a long time, and after her brush with full blown Rampancy she wanted some damn shore leave.

The Rampancy was another consideration. She knew that as soon as she returned Halsey and ONI would want to study her endlessly to find out the secrets to Metastability. Not that she blamed them, but she didn't know what Harry had done, and she had definitely performed innumerable diagnostics on herself in an attempt to find out. Being suck in a lab while they tried to figure it out sounded like nothing less than torture.

Plus, she felt she owed Harry. He'd saved her life on what was essentially a whim. They hadn't known each other even close to well enough to warrant him trying to help her out of friendship, like Chief would have. When she'd asked him, he'd simply said it was the right thing to do. So now she wanted to help him, to repay that debt.

Though he never did explain what he did.

She was roused out of her thoughts when she encountered something new in the digital space. It wasn't a new cat video, either. It was a presence similar to what she'd recognize as a fellow AI, but more... primitive, like it was straddling the line between a Dumb AI and a Smart AI, edging closer to Smart. Cortana could only think of one being in all of Remnant that would match this feeling, and she let out the digital equivalent of a smile. -Hello, Penny Polendina.-

There was a moment of hesitation before the presence responded. :Salutations. May I ask who this is, and how you contacted me?:

-My name is Cortana. I'm an associate of General Ironwood. Feel free to ask him about me. It's always nice to meet another AI, even if we're not really all that similar.-

Another pause. :You're an AI? I wasn't made aware that anyone else was working on one. Did my father have any input on you? Could we meet in the real world? Oh, I have so many questions!:

Cortana let the digital equivalent of a chuckle reach Penny. -I wasn't created by Atlas, Penny. And unlike you, I'm a purely digital being. I don't have a gynoid body like you do.- She let out a wistful sigh. -I would like one, though. I've always been curious about what a hug would feel like.-

:Oh, hugs are wonderful!: Penny said. :I know I can't feel them exactly like humans can, but my father made sure that I would register a pleasant response when my sensors receive the feedback of one. It makes me feel... warm. Especially when my friend Ruby hugs me.: She was silent again before asking another question. :Since you weren't made by Atlas, can I ask how you were born? Or is that classified? I wasn't aware anyone by Atlas had the technology to create AIs, and even them, I'm just a prototype.:

-I don't mind telling you.- Cortana began. -It's pretty simple in concept. The quick version is that my 'mother', Doctor Halsey, made a digital copy of her brain and uploaded it. That's what I was born from.-

:Wow.: Penny said, awe coming through the connection. :My creation wasn't that simple. It took my father decades before he managed to successfully make me, and... and my 'siblings', the first iterations didn't... didn't come out right and had to be purged...: Penny was quite for a bit. :I'm extremely fortunate that I activated correctly, and that father wasn't forced to do that to me. I remember when I first came online. He cried, he was so happy it worked...:

-Sounds like he loves you a lot.- Cortana said gently.

:He does! He always tries to make sure I'm going to be safe. The best armor, the best weapons systems... He's always busy making sure I'm at 110%!:

-I'm glad.- Cortana said with a soft smile. She remembered what this innocent young girl's fate was supposed to be, and she could already feel an ember of protective wrath begin to burn in her code. Penny would survive this time. She'd make damned sure of it. -So, why don't you tell me about yourself? Any friends?-

:Oh yes! My first friend is called Ruby Rose! She's...:

The conversation lasted for a long time, longer than either of them expected, and Cortana enjoyed all thirty seconds of it.

She'd just found another reason to stay and help.

* * *

 _ **Yay, new chapter done!**_

 _ **Not much happens in this one. I was going to get into the beginning of the tournament, but then a reviewer reminded me that we haven't just had a breather chapter for character interaction since the beginning of Tomb Raider, if not earlier. So I thought a chapter like this one would be a good idea before we jump back into the crazy.**_

 _ **I had some people ask why I didn't unlock Cortana's aura. Mainly because she doesn't have a body to do it to. It would be odd to have Ironwood try to unlock a laptop's aura. Not to mention, Cortana isn't the same as Penny. Penny was created specifically to be able to have aura despite being artificial. They're completely different. So no guarantees on her ever getting aura. Her capabilities are already scary, though, as you'll soon see.**_

 _ **I think that's all for now. Not much more to say beyond the fact that we hit 900 reviews! We're so close to a thousand it's making me giddy.**_

 _ **Oh, I finally got my 3DS repaired, so for those who might be interested, I've finally updated my Chrono Trigger novelization. Give it a read and leave a review, if that's your thing.**_

 _ **Till next time, please review, and don't forget my Pat A Ron, /athanmortis .**_

 _ **Bye**_


	30. Conversations

Harry sat under a tree overlooking the Emerald Forest near Beacon trying to think about what was coming and what he'd do.

Despite having information on the attack their enemies were planning, none of the Remnant natives or Harry's team could decide on what their response was going to be.

Letting the attack go forward while setting up counters was an option they were considering. It would allow them to use their knowledge of future events to its full effect. The virus that had been planted in the CCT system had already been dealt with by Cortana, so they didn't have to worry about the automated defenses turning against them, and Ironwood was still applying the screws to Roman Torchwick, who appeared to be close to cracking despite his bravado. Both facts would provide them a substantial advantage when added to the traps and tricks Harry alone could provide, to say nothing of his companions.

The downside of that option was that it would most likely cause at least some panic among the population of the world even if successfully repelled. Just the fact that it could even be attempted could make the Kingdoms act in foolish, unpredictable ways. Though that could still be of use, as the heightened state of awareness would help counteract some of the dangerous demilitarization that was much bemoaned among those who fought the forces of darkness.

There was, of course, also the fact that there could be casualties during the attack despite their best laid plans, something nobody wanted. That was the primary argument against that course of action.

On the other hand, they could round up the ringleaders of the attack and dismantle everything they had prepared, thus ensuring the Kingdom's safety.

It seemed like the obvious option, but there were some downsides. First and foremost, if they failed to capture or eliminate any of their targets for any reason, their knowledge of the future would become useless as they would then move in ways they weren't prepared for. If they missed catching Adam Taurus or Cinder Fall, either one could reorganize and attack by another vector, which could cause even more damage than if they let the attack happen due to the unpredictability of it.

There was also the fact that they then wouldn't have anything to incentivize the Kingdoms to increase their security and invest more in training new Huntsmen, both of which were badly needed, considering what the upcoming attack demonstrated about their enemies' capabilities.

The arguments over which path to take gave Harry a headache, and he was hoping the fresh air would be able to help him relax. Especially as he was dealing with his own dilemma that had been prompted by an observation by Beast Boy.

The green changeling had made an offhand comment that Harry might be able to increase his power by absorbing the Grimm like he had the demonic powers of Silent Hill. Curious if that was true, Harry went out on his own one day to experiment, wanting the solitude in case something went wrong.

It had taken some trial and error, but he found that he could indeed absorb one of the creatures of darkness' energy as his own. The side effects, however… frightened him.

He'd immediately felt the darker emotions he'd worked so hard to hold back slip their chains. He slaughtered the next group of Grimm he came across horrifically, making sure that their ends were long and painful, torturing the monsters with a gleeful, demented smile on his face.

He was horrified by what he'd done once he regained control of himself. True, the Grimm were literally soulless monsters that existed solely for the destruction of any and every human and faunus on Remnant, but that didn't change his actions. It made him extremely glad he'd gone at it alone. He didn't even want to imagine what would have happened had he had one of his friends with him, especially one of the girls. Those fears increased after what he dreamt that night.

 _Lara screaming, trying to fight him off, rage and horror in her eyes. Alice, sobbing brokenly, pure despair and betrayal in every fiber of her being as she was vio-_

Harry smacked the side of his head, trying to dislodge the memories of the dream he'd had, the remnants of his disgust with himself at the arousal they'd brought churning his stomach. He sighed tiredly, trying to slip into the meditative trance Raven had taught him, unable to manage it as the memories tormented him.

Before his thoughts could spiral further he heard a familiar voice nearby. "Aaah!" There was a thud, and the tinkle of breaking glass, followed by… "Oh no! Weiss is gonna kill me!"

Harry looked over to find the red cloaked form of Beacon's resident reaper, Ruby Rose, rubbing her head as she sat on the ground, broken vials of multicolored Dust on the ground around her. His lips quirked up slightly, the amusing sight lifting his spirits a bit.

As the fifteen year old sat dejectedly on the ground, looking at the broken vials, Harry got up and made his way over to her. "You okay, Miss Rose?"

Ruby looked up at him, silver eyes blinking before she blushed as she realized that he'd seen what happened. "Oh, hi. You were with Uncle Qrow the other day, right?"

"Yep. Name's Harry Potter." He glanced at the mess. "Having trouble?"

Ruby pouted. "Yeah. I probably shouldn't have been rushing while carrying all of this…" She sighed, dejected. "I'm in so much trouble…"

Harry chuckled before giving his hand a slight wave. Immediately the broken vials reassembled themselves till they looked like brand new. Then another movement of his fingers had the Dust swirl back into their vials, the grains of each distinctive color going into their respective container in a well-organized fashion. Finally, the corks fastened themselves snugly once they had been filled, sealing them securely.

Ruby was wide eyed. "Wow. That was amazing! Are you related to Professor Goodwitch?"

Harry shook his head. "No. It's just something I can do." He held out his hand to help her up, which she gratefully took.

 _He could force her up against the tree and have his way with her right now. She didn't have her weapon on her, so couldn't fight him off, and a sound barrier would ensure he wouldn't be disturbed by people hearing her screams. It would be so eas-_

Harry flinched as the thought went through his mind and he abruptly let go of her hand as she finished getting up, making her lose her balance slightly, almost falling again. "Wah!" She pinwheeled her arms to keep her balance before getting settling her feet. Then she looked at him, a pout on her face. "What was that for?"

Harry flinched and looked away. "Sorry…"

The look of adorable annoyance on Ruby's face melted into concern. "Are you okay? Did I do something?"

Harry shook his head vigorously. "No, no. I'm just… dealing with a side effect of my Semblance."

The girl cocked her head like a confused puppy. "Your Semblance…?" She scuffed her foot against the ground. "Umm, you wanna talk about it?"

Harry was surprised. "I don't want to bother you." He did his best to smile. "It's something I have to deal with." He moved back over to the tree and sat down against it, closing his eyes briefly.

Apparently that wasn't good enough for Ruby Rose, as she made her way over to him and sat down. "Well, you helped me out when you didn't have to. Let me return the favor, okay?"

Harry was silent for a bit, thinking, before sighing. "I have the ability to absorb energy to make myself more powerful."

"Really?" Ruby asked, perking up. "That sounds really useful. Is the boost permanent, or…?"

"Permanent, as far as I can tell." He said. "The problem is that, depending on the source, it affects my mind."

Now the red cloaked girl looked concerned again. "How do you mean?"

"I started out taking power from Grimm, killing them and adding their strength to mine." He said, obfuscating the truth slightly. "I didn't notice any difference at first." And he hadn't, at least when he was just passively absorbing Silent Hill's ambient demonic energy. "But after I took a lot of power from a very powerful group of Grimm, I realized that the power was affecting the way I thought." He sighed again as he let his head fall back to thunk against the tree's trunk. "When I fight now, I want to make my target suffer. When I argue with someone, I just want to beat my point into their skull." Another sigh. "When I see a pretty girl, my thoughts aren't… kind…"

Ruby looked up at him from where she was sitting. "So you flinched because you had a bad thought about me?" It took a second, but the penny seemed to drop, and her eyes promptly widened as she seemed to be trying to both pale and blush. "…Oh…"

Harry couldn't look at her. "Yeah… I don't want to hurt you, but that doesn't keep the urge to do it from tempting me."

Ruby bit her lip. The idea of what kinds of thoughts he might have about her scared her a bit, especially as she was now acutely aware she was weaponless, but he obviously didn't like the fact that he had them, and it made her want to help him. "Well, I think you're still a good person. You haven't acted on those feelings, after all. Sometimes I want to shave my sister's head when she annoys me, but I don't do it. I think that's what's most important."

Harry smiled softly. "Thanks, Miss Rose. My old teacher told me something similar. That doesn't keep me from worrying that I might lose my self-control if I ever have to absorb more negative energy, though."

"Have you tried meditation?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around her legs, knees near her chin. "My dad and uncle made Yang learn it to help deal with her temper." She looked slightly exasperated a moment later. "…Not that she actually does it…"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, that's one of the things my teacher taught me to help me keep control. The Flame and the Void, where I focus on the image of a flame and feed all my thoughts and emotions into it till I'm surrounded in an empty void where things can't affect me." He frowned. "It seems to become less effective the more power I gain, though…"

Ryuby hummed in thought. "Maybe… you need something more personalized?"

Harry turned his head to her, an eyebrow raised. "How do you mean?"

She shrugged slightly. "You know how in movies some characters have like, a chant, or a prayer, or something, that helps them focus? Like a powerful swordsman calling out his motto in an action movie to make his resolve stronger?"

Harry blinked. "You think I need something I can focus on that's more tailored to me?"

Ruby shrugged. "Well, I mean, it can't hurt, can it?"

Harry let out a thoughtful hum. "I… suppose not… I'll need to think of something that fits, though…" He turned to look at her with a smile. "Thanks, Miss Rose."

She smiled back before getting up, brushing the dirt off her skirt. "Happy to help. And call me Ruby, Mister Potter." She began picking up her vials to leave.

"Only if you call me Harry." He looked at her for a moment longer before speaking again. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Ruby."

Ruby paused, staring at him for a second, before she smiled again. "I'm terrified of what you could be, Harry." He flinched slightly, but she continued. "But who you are… that comforts me." She smiled wider at his look of surprise before she began walking away, vials jingling in her hands. "Bye!"

Harry watched her leave before smiling. "Bye…" He let out a breath as he looked back over the expanse of the forest. "Even after seeing her adventures… She's very wise." He closed his eyes, smile widening. "'A simple, more honest soul', right…?"

* * *

Lara knocked on the door to Beast Boy's room. She'd just gotten back from a fascinating conversation with Doctor Oobleck, Beacon's History teacher and resident archeologist. Now it was time to have some lunch, but Beast Boy hadn't come out of his room in a while, and that had her worried, as she hadn't known him to miss a meal. "Garfield? Are you in there?" Her brow furrowed when she heard a soft groan. Worry mounting, she opened the door and walked in, only for her eyes to widen at what she saw. "GARFIELD!" She cried, scrambling over to his prone form.

Beast Boy lay on the floor, eyes closed and looking pale. He had trails of blood leaking out of his mouth, nose, eyes and ears and he didn't respond at first when Lara shook him after checking his pulse.

"Garfield, what's wrong? What happened?" She shook him, growing more alarmed by the second, only to sigh slightly in relief when his eyes slowly opened. "Garfield?"

He let out another low groan as he slowly focused on her. "Lara…?"

"Oh thank god." She gasped, taking hold of his hand. "What happened? Did someone attack you?"

Beast Boy blinked slowly, still slightly insensate. "Strained myself too much trying to learn to use it…" He said slowly.

Lara's brow furrowed. "Learn to use what, Garfield?"

"Martian." He said, just as slowly but a bit more surely.

She blinked, remembering the form he'd used to get information from the Trinity agent that attacked her home. "You've used your martian form before, Garfield."

Beast Boy slowly sat up, Lara hastily helping him onto his bed, where he lay down again with a sigh of relief, eyes closed. When he next spoke he sounded almost normal. "I've never become a telepathic being before, Lara. Back then I couldn't control it at all. I could have easily gotten more from that guy than just 'Venice' if I'd known how. Instead I kept getting thoughts from the heads of everyone there, and I couldn't block it out or focus on anything specific." He cracked an eye open to look at her, a small grin on his lips. "You're a really big prude, by the way. Even Alice had more interesting fantasies rattling around her head."

Lara promptly gained an atomic red blush. "Garfield Mark Logan!" She practically shrieked in surprise and embarrassment.

He chuckled a bit before wincing. "Ow. Anyway… Beacon has a lot more people in the same amount of space than were around when we were at your place, especially thanks to the tournament. It overwhelmed me with noise. I'm guessing natural born martians learn to use their abilities slowly while around adults that can close off their minds, so they don't get an information overload. I don't have that advantage, so whenever I try to use it I'll take in everything from everyone around me till I manage to learn how to filter it."

Lara frowned before reaching down to pick Beast Boy up, said bow squawking in surprise. "Oh, be quiet." She said. "You need to go to the infirmary. I'm not taking any chances. The blood your leaking says you might have brain swelling or something similar."

Beast Boy humphed but didn't put up a further fight. He was quiet for a bit, ignoring the way the students were staring as he was carried around. Finally he spoke. "Are you going to tell the others?"

"They need to know." Lara said. "And new rule. You don't try that again without one of us present to keep an eye on you."

The changeling pouted before sighing when he saw his friend wasn't going to budge. "Fine, fine…"

Satisfied, Lara continued making her way to the infirmary.

* * *

Master Chief carefully worked on the weapon in front of him in Beacon's workshop, an open scroll propped up against the wall displaying Cortana's face as she watched him work from the device's camera.

"Hmm… Seems my calculation was slightly off. Try the quarter inch pin instead." Cortana said, prompting the Chief to obediently do so.

They we're trying to modify a mechashift weapon they obtained specifically for the purpose of experimentation into being able to fire the type of ammo the UNSC used rather than dust rounds. Theoretically it should be easy, but Remnant weapons were surprisingly intricate despite being quite robust.

Cortana sighed. "It's too bad we won't be able to use Dust rounds when we leave Remnant. Ammunition that burns, electrocutes or freezes the target would be a game changer back in UNSC space."

"Even if Dust worked outside of Remnant, I doubt a single planet would be able to supply enough to meet the demand it would create in the UNSC, no matter how eager Jacques Schnee would be to try." Chief said as his steady hands carefully replaced a few parts going by the plans Cortana had on a side of the screen.

"True, but I could see it being reserved for elite troops like SPARTANs." Cortana said. "I still find it hard to believe that a relatively advanced people like those on Remnant don't have any space presence at all, not even a single satellite. You'd think they'd have come up with an alternate fuel source to make up for the fact that Dust only works in Remnant's atmosphere."

"The blueprints you've provided for UNSC tech should change that." Chief assured her as he closed the rifle up again. "I think it's ready for a test fire." He said as he loaded in some standard UNSC ammunition.

Cortana eyed the weapon with a critical eye. "Seems so. I'm confident in my calculations, so it should work."

He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just admit you were wrong about the pin?"

The AI's eyes narrowed. "I'm a goddess among AIs, yes, but even I'm not perfect."

"Yes, your highness." The soldier said in deadpan, his eyebrow rising a bit higher before he made his way to the firing range, bringing the rifle up in a practiced motion. Taking a second to get used to the weight and grip, he promptly pulled the trigger, watching with satisfaction as the bullet was fired without any noticeable problem, hitting the bullseye at the far end of the range cleanly. "Test one is a success."

"Excellent…" Cortana smiled. "Now we need to check for any problems with the weapon after it fired."

The Chief switched the rifle to its melee form, a medium sized mace, and gave it a few swings, noting that there didn't seem to be any problem with it when swung. He moved to a test dummy and swung the mace at it a couple of times before looking it over, not finding any issues. Then he moved back to the table, getting ready to pull it back apart to check the individual components. "Everything seems to be working so far. This will quickly become standard issue once we submit the principles for the mechanisms to UNSC R&D for them to test your designs."

Cortana nodded. "Yeah, they'll be a big hit when we get back…" She said softly.

Chief continued like he hadn't noticed her go quiet at the end. "We'll obviously continue collecting anything on value as we travel with this team. I'm already considering this a salvage mission. It might take us a few years to get back, but the things we'll be taking back will be worth it. It'll also give you time to crack the secret to Metastability, so that you won't have to spend time in one of ONI's labs." He said blandly.

Cortana's head shot up as she stared at the Chief. "John, you…"

He turned to look at her with a serious look. "I'm not an idiot, Cortana. I know what returning will mean for you if we don't have the answer to what Harry did to you." He turned back to the weapon and began removing the outer casing. "Spending some time procuring new technology with Harry's team will give you time to figure it out while providing something to show for our time away. The Didact has been defeated, and the Halos are being decommissioned. While we could probably be of use, we aren't needed yet."

If she could, Cortana would have been crying right then. "I can't believe you'd do this for me, John…"

The Chief glanced at her. "It's not the first time I would have disobeyed orders for you." Then he refocused. "Now, let's go through this weapon. I don't see any damage to these parts. Do you?"

Cortana shook her gratitude to her friend off before focusing on the weapon. "I don't see anything. I'll need to do a better analysis with the armor's systems, but for now…"

The two continued working for a while longer, enjoying the relaxed time together.

* * *

Alice sat in the school cafeteria at breakfast, eating some oatmeal while trying to ignore the loud conversations of the many students filling the room as she read a psychology text on her scroll and made notes on a notebook she had beside it.

Before leaving the UNSC Infinity, Cortana, mostly as a test of her capabilities, had downloaded the entirety of the information stored on every computer of the ship. This included the files of the ship's doctor and on board psychologist. There were many reference texts among the data, and Cortana had graciously provided Alice access to them.

This was an enormous opportunity, as those texts were literally centuries ahead of her own time. So much new information had been discovered, so many myths debunked. It gave her insight she never would have been able to get otherwise. So she began to devour the books ravenously.

"Excuse me, do you mind if we sit here?" A familiar voice asked, and Alice looked up to find teams RWBY and JNPR standing around her, Weiss having been the one that had spoken. "Thanks to the students from the other academies, the cafeteria is very full."

Alice glanced around to find that she was right, the place was packed. It was honestly a surprise that nobody had approached her before this. She looked up at the white haired girl. "Of course, feel free. I'm simply studying, so as long as you're not too disruptive I do not mind. My name is Alice Liddel."

As the students sat down Yang looked over at her. "Whatcha studying? And which Academy are you with?"

Alice shook her head. "I'm not a student of any of the Huntsman Academies. I'm studying psychology and psychiatry."

Yang blinked. "Oh. No offense, but what are you doing here then?"

"You're one of Harry's friends, right?" Ruby asked after she consumed a strawberry.

Alice nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm a member of his team. You've met Harry, then?"

Ruby nodded, ignoring how her sister was scrutinizing her. "Yeah. He helped me out when I had a bit of an accident with some Dust vials yesterday. Are you his therapist?"

Alice shook her head. "No. Not yet, at least."

Jaune leaned forward to look at Ruby, ignoring the loud sounds of Nora devouring her pancakes next to him to unknowingly ask the question Alice wanted to. "Why do you think she's his therapist?"

"Did he do something?" Yang asked, looking tense and a bit angry.

"No!" Ruby held up her hands, trying to calm her overprotective sister. "We talked yesterday. He was dealing with the side effects of his semblance. He looked like he could use some help…"

Alice frowned before sighing. "That means he's been hiding his problems from us. I'll need to have a talk with him. That isn't something he should deal with on his own." She smiled at Ruby. "Thank you for trying to help, Miss Rose. I'll make sure to do something about this."

Ruby nodded. "Okay."

Pyrrha leaned forward, brushing some of her crimson hair away from her eyes as she looked at Alice. "So, if you're not a student, may I ask why you're here?"

Alice nodded amicably. "My friends and I are specialists when it comes to security and combat. After the Breach, Ozpin brought us in to help secure Beacon, improving the current security measures, just in case."

Ren was the next to speak. "Makes sense, though considering how many prospective Huntsmen there are here I'm a bit surprised he'd go through the expense."

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." Alice said simply.

Weiss nodded. "True. It's the Headmaster's responsibility to ensure the student's safety. It doesn't matter if they can protect themselves, he'd still be negligent in his duties if he didn't." She looked satisfied with what she'd been told. "I'm glad he's being proactive."

"Are you looking forward to the tournament?" Ruby asked with a smile.

Alice nodded. "I am. It promises to be quite a spectacle."

"We've been training non-stop!" Nora burst in. "Team JNPR is going to sweep the entire tournament, just you wait!"

Yang slapped a hand on the table, the competitive spark burning in her eye. "I'm sorry? I think I didn't hear you right. You meant to say Team _RWBY_ is going to win the entire thing, right?"

As the teens began to good naturedly bicker and egg each other on, Alice sighed, resigned to not being able to continue studying. She glanced over to see the only one of the teens that hadn't spoken, Blake, looking dejected as well, gazing mournfully at her book.

Shaking her head, Alice went back to her meal.

* * *

Beast Boy ran into the team's common room, bouncing with eagerness. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon! It's starting soon! I want to get good seats!"

"Chill out, BB." Harry said with a chuckle as he put on his enchanted coat. "We've still got time before the fights start."

The changeling was practically vibrating in place. "I don't want to miss it. It's one thing to see the fights as an animated show. This is going to be so much more awesome!"

Lara finished lacing up her boot, smiling wryly. "We won't miss any of it, Garfield." She stood up. "We all ready?"

Alice stepped out of her room and nodded as the Chief slipped a knife into his boot, his weapon strapped his back. "Ready.

"Alright then." Harry began heading out the door, already able to hear the excited chatter of those heading out to see the tournament as well. "Let's go have some fun." The others fell into step behind him.

* * *

 ** _Hello all. Another chapter done, and with this I've reached thirty chapters for this fic. Doesn't seem like a lot, but it's been over a year and a half since I started it, so it's a not inconsiderable undertaking._**

 ** _Anyway, this is another breather chapter. I thought up some more things I wanted to look in on after the last chapter, so I decided another one before we got back into the thick of things wouldn't hurt._**

 ** _The part with Harry and Ruby was because several people have talked about wanting Harry to absorb the Grimm/Salem's powers, and it seemed to me like they didn't really consider the consequences of that, only the cool factor. Which is considerable, I admit. I wanted to show why Harry couldn't just wander into the middle of the Emerald Forest and absorb every single Grimm in there._**

 ** _Don't worry, though. The next world will give Harry a major upgrade which I've laid the groundwork for here. *grin*_**

 ** _The other part I wanted to look in on was Beast Boy. I always intended for his martian transformation to have a downside. Otherwise he's just too OP with it. I just couldn't find any place to fit the scene till now. I know some people might feel it's a copout, but it makes sense to me, and it's necessary to the story._**

 ** _Chief and Cortana… A lot of people have this impression of the Chief as a machine who'll follow orders no matter what, but he isn't. He does what he believes is best, and yeah, he's been indoctrinated into following orders since he was a kid, but he's been shown in the series and tie-in media to lie to superiors and disobey orders when he believes it's the right thing to do. His refusing to terminate Cortana in Halo 4 is just an example. So I wanted to show that he's willing to do what he can to help his friend._**

 ** _And I wanted to show that Alice was still focused on becoming a shrink, and that her resources to do so have been enhanced thanks to Cortana. You've got to admit, medical books from the future are a game changer for anybody. I also wanted to introduce more of the RWBY cast, even if it's in a minor role for now._**

 ** _Alright, I think that's all for now. I hope you enjoyed. Please review, and don't forget my Pat A Ron /athanmortis._**

 ** _Till next time._**


	31. First Moves

The cheering of the crowds filling Amity Colosseum were nearly deafening as they watched Team JNPR fight Team BRNZ of Shade Academy. The clashes between the aspiring warriors drew gasps and cries of delight from those watching.

Harry, Beast Boy, Alice, Lara and the Chief sat in the front row, their gazes on the arena below. BB was munching on popcorn with a large, toothy grin on his face, obviously enjoying the show. Chief was leaning forward, elbows on his knees and fingers interlaced as he studied the eight young men and women's fighting styles, his blue eyes flitting about, taking everything in and trying to figure out what he and his companions could use in the future. A small camera clipped to his shirt and an earbud in his ear allowed Cortana to add her own input and see more than they televised broadcast allowed.

Harry sat back in his seat, running a small ball of dark energy along his fingers in an absent control exercise while he watched Jaune shield bash an opponent before dodging sniper fire from the trees. His eyes glanced around as he tried to figure out where Ren disappeared to, but his gaze was pulled back when Nora began laughing madly as she was electrocuted by the boy she was fighting, arcs of electricity covering her form as she grinned widely, her hammer coming around to slam into his head with enormous force, knocking him out.

Alice winced. "That must have hurt… I know aura can protect you from quite a bit, but I'm still surprised that boy isn't dead."

Lara patted her friend's knee. "As flighty as she is, I highly doubt Nora is the type to kill someone even accidentally." Her gaze flitted up from the arena to scan the crowd before stopping when she spotted what she had been looking for. "I see them. Eleven o'clock, third row from the bottom."

The group's gaze moved to follow hers, five pairs of eyes (and a camera) locking onto their targets, Cinder Fall, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black. The three in charge of the upcoming attack on the kingdom of Vale.

"You sure about the plan, Harry?" Beast Boy asked seriously.

Harry nodded. "I discussed it with extensively with Cortana, Chief, Ozpin and Ironwood. It's the best compromise we could come up with between the two options we had." He turned to look at Chief. "Has Cortana located our faunus friends?"

"She's narrowed it down." The super soldier responded before listening to the earbud. "She says she's been triangulating their signal whenever they make a call. They're hiding out somewhere in the Forever Fall Forest. Most likely where they're acquiring the Grimm they plan on releasing into the city."

"What about the defenses on Amber?" Alice asked Harry.

"I've been working on setting them up and making sure they recognize us. The only one they should affect should be Cinder." Harry said reassuringly.

Alice sighed. "I wish we had a proper medically trained professional…"

Beast Boy snorted. "Wouldn't that be nice?" The group's attention was dragged back to the arena as the crowd suddenly burst into cheers, turning back to the spectacle below as team JNPR's opponents were launched out of the ring with great force. "Heh, not bad. Still say we should have joined the tournament."

Lara shook her head as she clapped with the rest of the crowd. "There'd have been no point, Garfield. Besides, Chief and I aren't the proper age for it, leaving you a man short."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." He got up, stretching. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm starved."

"You just ate an entire bucket of popcorn." Alice said, amused.

Beast Boy shrugged with a grin. "What can I say? I'm a growing boy."

His friends chuckled as the followed him out of the Colosseum.

* * *

The dimensionally displaced group's unknowing targets were having their own discussion. "Emerald, what have you found out about the security features Ozpin's new guests have been implementing?" Cinder Fall asked her loyal minion as she calmly sat watching the match, content that the noise of the crowd would keep their conversation from being overheard.

"Not much, Cinder. As far as I've been able to find out it's mostly new monitoring systems. They haven't had time for anything more substantial in the short time they've been at Beacon." The mint hared girl said. "The alarms should be connected to the current systems, so as long as the virus you planted is still working, then they should be under our control along with the rest of the defenses."

The dark haired beauty glanced down at her scroll, checking the status on the virus, not expecting any change, and gratifyingly not finding any. "Our infiltration still appears to be undiscovered." She said with a small smile.

Mercury leaned back as he lounged boredly, watching the fighting going on down below. "I don't get why you even care about these so called 'security specialists'. I mean, I doubt Ozpin told some nobodies what they're protecting and guarding against. They'll be caught just as off guard as the rest of these saps when it all starts."

Emerald grimaced, but nodded. "As much as I hate to agree with him on anything, Mercury's got a point. Why do we care about what some group we've never heard of is doing?"

"It is precisely because we don't know anything about them that we need to be wary." Cinder explained patiently. "Something made Ozpin entrust the safety of his beloved school to them despite their apparently nonexistent qualifications. And the unknown can be the most dangerous thing to face. That is, after all, part of our own strategy at the moment."

Mercury scoffed even as Emerald nodded in understanding, her near worship of Cinder making her take the words especially seriously. "Whatever." The male of the group said. "It's not like most of them look like they'd be any good in a fight. I could take the boys out before they even noticed. That would solve some problems."

Cinder gave they grey haired young man a look. "No. The Breach served our purposes, but it also put Ozpin and Ironwood on high alert. If something were to happen to their employees before we're ready to begin our plans, it would be disastrous. Leave them be."

Mercury crossed his arms and looked down sourly as team JNPR raised their arms in victory to the screaming crowd. "Fine…"

* * *

Roman Torchwick wondered, not for the first time, where James Ironwood had gotten his information from. As he sat in an interrogation room, the General sitting across the metal table from him, the question popped up yet again.

The other man had detailed Cinder's identity and what long term plans of hers he felt comfortable sharing. He'd even given the master thief information even he hadn't known about Cinder's methods and objectives. Normally Roman would say that the General was bluffing with stuff he pulled out of his ass, but something told Roman that it was all true.

The fact that Ironwood knew about the virus Cinder had uploaded into the CCT system added more credence to the thought.

"And me an Neo will be given protection from the crazy bitch?" Roman asked as he sat back, acting unconcerned.

"Yes, along with a decently substantial salary in exchange for your assistance with security matters and criminal investigations." Ironwood said calmly, watching Roman like a hawk.

Roman considered the offer. Normally he wouldn't have asked about Neo. They were partners and perhaps even friends, but they both knew how things worked. You always, _always_ , looked after yourself first. However, Ironwood had thrown her safety in during his initial pitch, so the flamboyant redhead didn't see the harm in keeping her included. God knew he needed someone competent backing him up.

Honestly, he wasn't sanguine about switching sides and working with the law. He was a criminal, a thief, and a damn good one. He enjoyed his life, enjoyed the thrill and the satisfaction. The idea of becoming a law abiding citizen and helping catch criminals made him cringe.

However, Ironwood had made it clear that working against them was a losing proposition. They knew enough that whatever Cinder's plans were that they were utterly ruined. There was no future in following her instructions now.

"How'd you find all this out, anyway?" Roman asked the question that had been bugging him since Ironwood came to him with the deal.

The Atlesian raised an eyebrow. "Torchwick, do you really think I'm going to tell you something that sensitive?"

Roman shrugged, a small smirk on his face. "Can't blame me for trying." He sighed before sitting back, thinking for a few more seconds. In the end, however, there wasn't much real choice. "Alright, what do you want to know?" He said with another sigh.

Ironwood slowly smiled, eyes glinting with steel.

* * *

:Cortana, do you think, from what you've seen of me during the tournament, that I can accomplish my mission?: Penny asked out of the blue when she and Cortana were having one of their now daily conversations.

Cortana 'blinked' surprised. -What brought this on, Penny?-

:General Ironwood wanted me to fight in the tournament to determine if there was anything that needed to be corrected or improved before others like me were made.: The artificial girl explained. :He and my father think that having machines with aura on the frontlines against the Grimm will lower the death toll among Hunters and military personnel. An army of soldiers like me, that can be replenished faster than a Hunter can be raised and trained, might be able to push back the Grimm enough that humanity could begin to expand again. I'm supposed to save the world. But…:

Cortana was silent for a few moments, trying to think of what to say to her young friend. -Saving the world is a heavy burden to lay on anyone's shoulders, Penny, no matter who they are. I don't think it's fair to saddle you with it, even if I understand why they have.- She was silent for another moment before continuing. -You're stronger than you think, Penny. You're shouldering a burden you shouldn't have to. They have a responsibility to you, and any siblings they create, as children of humanity, to care for and nurture you like they would any other child, no matter what capabilities you may have.-

:They do!: Penny hurried to reassure her friend.

-Penny, fighting off the Grimm is the responsibility of everyone on this world. They can't just create an entirely new race to be their weapons and foist that duty onto them because they don't want it anymore. Yes, troops that can fight like Hunters without the same cost or drawbacks is a good idea, but they made you sentient. That means you're more than just a weapon.-

:I needed to be sentient if I was going to have aura and fight with it correctly…: Penny responded hesitantly.

-Yes, I suppose so. But they should still treat you properly. And that includes not dropping the duty of saving the world solely on your shoulders. No matter what you may be, you need others to help you bear the burden.- She smiled. -I bet Ruby, at the least, would be willing to help you carry the weight.-

Penny was silent for a while before speaking softly. :That… still doesn't answer my question. Do you think I can do it, Cortana?:

-Oh Penny, of course I do. I never meant to make you think otherwise.- The older AI fondly thought of old friends and current companions. –If there's one thing I've learned, it's that nothing is impossible with the proper will behind it. Never forget, Penny, victory lies in every soul, no matter how small or seemingly weak it is.-

:I… think I understand, Cortana. Thank you.:

-Any time, Penny. Any time…-

* * *

Ozpin stood at the window of his office, looking at the large, floating structure that was Amity Colosseum as he sipped his coffee. He didn't move when he heard the door to his office open, the distinctive sound of Glynda's heels clicking against the floor letting him know who it was.

"You haven't spoken to Miss Nykos." She stated neutrally as she stepped beside him, looking out at the colosseum with her boss and friend.

Another sip. "I don't intend to do so this time." He said simply.

"What you saw on the show changed your mind then?" Glynda asked.

Ozpin considered his words. "I still think she would make a fine Maiden. However, I do see now that dumping such a choice on her that way would not be fair to her. I can only say that were it not for our new friends I would be feeling more desperate for a solution." He took another sip. "However, thanks to them, transferring Amber's power as the Fall Maiden to another bearer might not be necessary at all. If they can subdue or kill Cinder, the power she stole should return to Amber, in which case she should hopefully awaken."

"I see." Glynda said softly. "And if Cinder manages to get away?"

Ozpin smiled grimly. "She won't."

They were silent for a few minutes, watching the distant forms of people making their way to see the fights. Finally Glynda spoke. "Miss Xiao Long's singles battle with Mister Black is about to begin."

Ozpin nodded, his eyes narrowing at the memory of what that meant. "Yes. Yes it is..."

* * *

He stumbled through the stands drunkenly, looking for his seat. Below, in the arena, Yang Xiao Long was fighting Mercury Black, the sounds of shotgun shells being fired inaudible over the audience's cheering.

Yang was winning in the battle of punches vs kicks, the crowd growing frenzied over the display of pure physical skill. In an alcoholic haze, however, he didn't notice, moving to his seat

Emerald was sitting in the front row of the stands, watching the fight with intent eyes and a small smirk. Anybody looking at her would think she was smirking from her partner's performance in the battle.

"And Mercury is down, his aura in the red! Yang Xiao Long is the winner!" Professor Peter Port's voice rang out in the arena, making the crowd cheer as Yang lifted a fist triumphantly, Mercury sitting on the ground, acting exhausted.

As Emerald's smirk widened, her Semblance beginning to reach out in order to affect Yang's mind to make her see Mercury attacking her, someone suddenly fell onto her lap, smelling of alcohol and laughing like a fool. She glanced down at the young man on top of her, surprised. "What the hell are you doing!?" Then realizing her mistake, she began looking up again in order to salvage the plan only to suddenly freeze and looking down mechanically as her assailant groped her breast.

"Hehe, sorry darling…" He said, giggling drunkenly, face flushed as he squeezed. "How about I kiss you in apology?"

As the surrounding spectators stared, shocked, Emerald went bright red. "You… you… YOU FUCKING PERVERT!" She punched him off of her and got up, beginning to kick him. "The hell do you think you're doing, grabbing my breast!?" She shrieked in rage.

He hunched over, protecting himself from her kicks, but when she paused he mumbled something that made everyone there sure he was utterly suicidal. "Not much to grab, anyway…"

Emerald's eyes lit up with rage, but suddenly two people in security uniforms appeared and picked him up. "What's happening here?"

"This fucking pervert fell on me and started to grope my breasts!" She barked, seething, he dusky complexion even darker from the blood in her face.

One of the security officers, a woman, looked at the drunk in disgust. "Well, don't worry, ma'am. He'll be spending the night in a cell sobering up." She hauled him to his feet and began dragging him away.

Emerald glared after them, still full of wrath, before she suddenly went stiff, going from red with rage to as pale as she possibly could. She whirled around, looking at the arena, finding it empty, people beginning to leave the colosseum for a bathroom break or a snack.

The illusionist thief fell into a vacated seat, staring at the empty arena in horror. "Oh… fuck…"

Being dragged off by the 'security officers' some distance away, Harry smirked. "Mission accomplished." He told his companions, who both shared his smirk.

* * *

 _ **So, shorter chapter this time, but it's setup for the action, which begins in the next chapter, where we will see the invasion of the Kingdom of Vale and the team's response. Those familiar with RWBY should be able to see how this chapter will affect that.**_

 _ **I'm glad that the previous chapter was well received. I'll try to add more moments to relax and interact going forward.**_

 _ **People have been wondering what Harry's next upgrade is going to be. I've stated before that he will get it in the next world he visits. He's too gunshy at the moment to try to take anybody else's. But the power he's going to get is a doozy. As for the world...? I'll give a hint. It's very popular, bloody, and something related to it but unofficial ended not too long ago. Let's see who guesses.**_

 _ **Next story I work on will be Hunter in the Darkness. Then I'll be taking some time off for the Holidays and my birthday, which is in early January. Then I'll resume my writing. Fair warning though, I might have to take a trip in February due to my Grandfather's health, so my writing at that time might stop for a bit. We'll see what happens.**_

 _ **I think that's all for now. Please review. We're so close to 1k reviews I can taste it. And don't forget my Pat A Ron: dotcom /athanmortis**_

 _ **Till next time!**_


	32. Invasion(?)

Harry sat in the stands of Amity Colosseum once again, this time alone, as he waited for the match between Pyrrha Nikos and Penny Polendina to begin.

The rest of the team were in position at various locations in preparation for when Cinder tried to kick off the invasion, which was set to be when Emerald tricked Pyrrha into accidentally killing Penny. Assuming the bad guys' plan remained the same, of course.

The team had been hoping that stopping Emerald from tricking Yang into attacking a downed opponent would lessen the severity of the negative emotions that were running throughout the crowds, thus lower the amount of Grimm that would be attracted during the attempted invasion. Unfortunately, it appeared that Cinder'd had backup plans.

The first incident was a team from Atlas severely beating up a human man and his faunus girlfriend, both civilians. They were being decried as violent racists, especially by the faunus community, but the team swore up and down that they'd seen two White Fang terrorists planning to attack a human and had intervened. Security camera footage disproved those claims, much to the teens' shock, and Ironwood was forced to place them under arrest pending an inquiry back in Atlas where expulsion was a possibility. It didn't matter that he knew they'd acted in good faith and had been tricked, he had no proof, and he couldn't act against public opinion and make things worse.

The other incident involved a student from Shade getting in a fight with a student from Haven that had resulted in an almost absurd amount of property damage (one of the students had a rocket launcher, the other a chaingun with HE rounds) and several injuries in the middle of a busy street. When interrogated on what had begun the fight, both gave conflicting statements, and when asked why they busted out the heavy ordinance in such a crowded location they said there'd only been a few people and they'd made sure to aim away from them. People were angry with their recklessness, and they had both been put on suspension.

Both incidents, Harry knew, were aimed at making the civilian population distrust the hunters and the academies along with increase their negative feelings. And going by the gossip he could hear around him, it was working.

The talking of the crowd changed to cheers as Pyrrha and Penny walked out onto the arena, the redheaded champion resplendent in her armor, looking like a warrior out of the Iliad, while the perky android bounced happily, excited for the upcoming fight.

The crowd roared as the battle began. Harry sat back as he watched the two girls clash in an incredible display of supreme skill and power he knew he'd never be able to match without tapping deeply into his powers, fidgeting with an object in his hands. People around looked at him oddly when they saw what he was toying with, but generally shrugged it off to pay attention to the fight.

He was nervous. The next part of the plan needed to go off perfectly, or a vibrant young woman's life would be ended prematurely and messily. As he watched the girls clash over and over again he let out a deep breath when he saw the climax of the fight approaching.

Penny was preparing to strike with all eight swords she had at her disposal, which were controlled with wires to dance at her command. As the ginger android launched the blades forward, Harry saw Pyrrha's eyes go wide, her face panicked, which told him she was now being affected by Emerald's illusion into thinking there were far more blades heading for her than there actually were. In a panic, the redhead let loose a magnetized shockwave using her semblance, Polarity. The weapons were launched back at Penny, who's eyes widened in surprise.

The retaliation was too swift for even Penny's prodigious processing power to react, and the thin yet incredibly sturdy metal wires that allowed her to control her swords began wrapping around her body. Harry hurriedly motioned with his hands as, due to the force of their momentum, the wires cut into Penny's synthetic body. The crowd could only watch in horror as her body was cut into by her own weapons, the wires slicing her limbs and torso into pieces, letting everybody see the metal and sparking wires that lay underneath the synthetic skin. Harry sighed as Penny's lifeless eyes gazed out vacantly.

There were shrieks of shock and horror from the crowd as the announcers, Professors Port and Oobleck, began to exclaim their own disbelief of what had happened as well. None of that compared to the look on Pyrrha's face as she fell to her knees, face as white as a sheet as she beheld what's she'd unintentionally done.

Harry got up out of his seat and began walking up the stairs of the colosseum, pocketing the object in his hands as he prepared himself for what came next, a portal opening before him once he was out of sight which he promptly stepped through.

As everybody was still trying to get over the shock of what had just happened a woman's voice spoke over the system, her voice being broadcast not just in the stadium but to everyone watching throughout Remnant.

"This is **not** a tragedy. This was **not** an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than _men_." Cinder smiled as she spoke into her scroll from atop a rooftop. "Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both."

Ironwood sat calmly in his seat at the colosseum despite the looks he was beginning to be given. He had faith in their plan, and he would play his part.

"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil." The mastermind continued, her words cutting and riling up the crowd. "What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference."

Outside of the walls of the kingdom, the Grimm began to approach, drawn by the growing negativity they could sense emanating from humanity's bastion against them.

Back in the arena, Pyrrha's eyes watered as she continued staring at the face of the girl she'd killed, robot or not, all while the woman continued to speak. "And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching _his_ students? Such a wanton murder of a seeming innocent? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither." Ruby was sobbing at the loss of her precious friend, kneeling on the ground as tears fell from her silver eyes. "Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves."

Cinder smiled, about to finish her speech, striking fear and uncertainty into the hearts of the entirety of the world, when the screens showing the tournament, which had displayed an overlay with the symbol of a queen chess piece during her interruption, suddenly changed. Now it displayed a blue background with an unfamiliar symbol that only Cortana and Master Chief would recognize as being the Forerunner symbol for humanity. A new voice came over the speakers, one which made Cinder's eyes widen in shock at the familiarity despite the obvious differences.

"Such pretty little poison, Cinder Fall." The voice said, making said woman recoil in shock. "Oh yes, we know who you are, Cinder. We know your plans. You are the one that's been behind Torchwick and the White Fang's dust robberies. You masterminded the Breach in order to undermine the kingdom's defenses and the trust of its people. You arranged those incidents involving the students by using the Semblance of your compatriot, Emerald Sustrai, to make them see things that weren't there. You then did the same thing to Miss Nykos, which culminated in this incident." The crowd was once again shocked at what they were hearing, Team JNPR looking up from where they'd moved onto the arena to support Pyrrha, anger in most of their eyes. "Speaking of which, Miss Polendina is fine, Miss Nikos." Pyrrha's eyes widened as she saw 'Penny's' body suddenly turn to dust. "We used the semblance of one of our agents to replace her with this simulacrum at the last moment. Apologies, but we needed to draw Fall out." Pyrrha let out a sob of relief onto Jaune's shoulder.

Cinder was staring in shock at what her screen was showing. How? How did they know who she was? How had they been able to predict her moves? There should have been no way for that to be possible!

"Where was I?" The newer voice said. "Ah yes. You also put a virus in the CCT system in order to control the kingdom's defenses. You even managed to infect the Atlesian system that controls their mechs and ships. It's purged now, by the way. You're a few thousand years too early to get one passed me with such a rudimentary program. Whoever made it was decent… for an idiot."

Far away from Vale, a man with greying hair and an impressive mustache narrowed his eyes at the insult to his skills.

"All of this, for what? To draw the Grimm into Vale and allow them to attack with impunity with the help of the ones you've already snuck in here with the help of Adam Taurus' radical faction of the White Fang, bringing the kingdom down. I'm sorry to tell you though, Cinder…" Suddenly the sounds of artillery began to ring out, the kingdom defenses suddenly activating and taking down the approaching Grimm with uncommon accuracy, the Atlesian ships floating overhead adding to the fire, taking out airborn Grimm easily. "…that's not going to happen."

In several areas of the city, faunus soldiers of the White Fang looked at each other nervously, cages full of Grimm nearby.

"Don't worry though, Fall." The voice continued with an undercurrent of laughter. "We'll be hunting you down soon enough. …I'd suggest running, not that it will help." She laughed outright now.

"Who are you!?" Cinder asked with fury, glaring at her screen, not expecting her voice to still be broadcast, though it was.

"Us? We are guardians. We protect the people, no matter what. We could stop you, so we did. It's that simple." Nobody could see Cortana, but they could hear the smile of pride in her voice. "These Huntsmen and Huntresses dedicate their lives to the welfare of the people. It's only fair they get some back up." The tone became teasing. "Now, shouldn't you be running?" With a final laugh, the screens turned back to normal.

* * *

Back in the colosseum, the crowd was shouting at each other over what they'd heard, shocked beyond belief that someone had tried to bring the kingdom down in such a way. Unnoticed to most, Mercury and Emerald were trying to slink away while they could, but they were confronted by Alice, Lara, Glynda and Qrow. They didn't have a chance.

Down in the arena, Pyrrha clung to Jaune as Nora patted her back. "I didn't kill her. I didn't kill her…" She kept repeating, tears of relief falling down her cheeks as her partner held her reassuringly.

"No, you didn't. And it sounds like Cinder is going to get what she deserves." The blonde knight said with an audible growl in his voice.

"I say we break her legs." Nora said viciously. Ren, for once, nodded in agreement.

Jaune began guiding Pyrrha to the exit. "C'mon, let get back to the dorms so we can all rest. It doesn't seem like we're needed anymore." The others nodded and followed him out of the arena, the redhead of the group leaning on him for support, emotionally exhausted.

* * *

Meanwhile, with Ruby, her team had quickly rushed over to her once they found her. "Ruby, are you alright?" Weiss asked, worried.

Ruby looked up at her friends, tears still in her eyes but a smile on her face. "Penny's alright…"

Yang knelt down and hugged her sister. "C'mon sis. Let's go back to Beacon. I think we could all use some hot chocolate and some rest."

Weiss nodded. "Yes. We can let Ozpin and whoever that was over the system deal with Cinder."

Ruby got up, wiping her eyes. "I can't believe Cinder was behind everything. She seemed so nice…"

"That's why they say you shouldn't just trust a pretty face." Yang said with a smile before noticing that Blake looked agitated. "You alright, Blake? What's up? You look like a spooked cat."

Blake fidgeted. "It's nothing… Just… something that the second woman got to me, that's all."

"About the White Fang?" Ruby asked, thinking it was pretty obvious that was what was affecting Blake, since she used to be a member.

"…Yeah."

Yang wrapped an arm around her partner and pulled her close. "Don't worry about it. Sounds like it's well in hand." Blake hesitated, but nodded with a sigh. "Great! Now let's go. I could use a cat nap."

The other three groaned. "Sheesh, that's worse than usual." Weiss grumped.

"Aw, you just don't have any sense of humor."

* * *

In one of the many buildings throughout Vale full of White Fang members guarding cages of Grimm, Adam Taurus was seething. Damn Cinder! Somehow the stupid human bitch had let the kingdom discover the plan, and now everything was ruined.

"What do we do, Adam?" A faunus with antlers on her head asked.

The bull faunus turned to her, and she shivered slightly at the rage he was radiating even with his mask hiding his face. "Have everyone release the Grimm as planned. Things might still be salvaged if we can do enough damage." He stood up and began heading for the exit. "If nothing else we'll show the humans that they aren't as safe as they thought they were." He gripped his sword's sheathe tightly. "I'll use the distraction to take care of some… business."

The antlered woman nodded and spoke into her radio. The large doors of the building they were in opened, and the White Fang let the Grimm out, quickly getting away from them as the monsters moved out into the streets, ready to kill anything they came across.

Adam and his subordinates were surprised, however, when the Grimm were gunned down mere feet from the exit. They looked around in alarm, finding a large amount of Atlesian mechs surrounding the building, their weapons firing into the Grimm till the beasts fell and began to dissipate. One of the mechs began to speak with the voice that Adam recognized from what they had just seen online. "White Fang, you are all under arrest for attempted terrorism and intentionally releasing Grimm into a populated area, among other crimes. Come quietly and none of you will get hurt." The mech that was speaking turned its face to look at Adam, the woman still speaking through it. "All the locations you'd had Grimm stashed have been raided and neutralized. You've lost, Taurus."

Adam saw red. He'd been so close to getting revenge, both on humanity and Blake, and now everything was ruined!

Well, he wasn't going to stop now. He was going to get at least one out of two.

Cortana, seeing through the eyes of all the mechs in the city (she really needed to thank Ironwood for granting her permission to conduct the operation), could clearly see Adam tensing and getting ready to make a break for it. She immediately directed the mechs to fire, but even with her controlling them and boosting their processing capabilities, their hardware couldn't keep up, and they just missed hitting the terrorist as he took off, leaving his subordinates behind.

Cortana sighed and contacted the team. "Taurus has escaped from me. He's either leaving the city, or…"

* * *

Cinder raced to Beacon, avoiding the patrols of mechs that filled the streets, keeping an eye out for any trouble. The Grimm at the walls were being pushed back somehow, and the ones being kept captive either weren't being released into the city, or something had gone even more badly than she'd thought.

She no longer had the benefit of the distraction of an invasion to cover her entrance into the vault beneath Beacon where her quarry was located, but she knew too well the price her mistress would extract for failure, so at the very least she needed to get some intelligence on what was there before fleeing, no matter how much she'd prefer to leave the kingdom entirely immediately, something that would be monumentally more difficult now that everybody and their dog would be keeping an eye out for her.

However, she stood a better chance if she managed to take the rest of the magical powers of the Fall Maiden. She'd only managed to steal part of them before, but with access to the full amount of power, she stood a much better chance of surviving.

Thankfully, there didn't seem to be much security in the school. All the faculty must be out dealing with the fallout of the night's events. With any luck they assumed she'd try to skip town rather than continue her original objective.

Hiding from a couple of passing students, she made her way into the elevator at the base of Beacon's tower. Then, as she was about to figure out how to get the thing to take her down, everything went black.

* * *

Teams RWBY and JNPR had met up on the airship to Beacon, and they'd all agreed to head to the dorms to relax after the stressful hour they'd just had, especially Blake, Pyrrha and Ruby.

Yang was cracking bad jokes and puns, trying to keep everyone's spirits up, while both Ruby and Pyrrha were thinking about asking Ozpin to let them see Penny. Blake, on the other hand, was still worried after hearing that Adam was in Vale. She dreaded the thought of running into him, and could only hope that he'd already been captured.

Alas, it was not to be, as her sharp hearing caught the sound of a blade hissing through the air as the teams were walking through one of Beacon's grassy areas, Blake walking slightly apart from the others. She immediately reacted by dodging away, leaving a clone of herself to take the hit, one of its arms coming off as the razor sharp blade went through it.

Blake knew what she'd find when she looked for where the attack came from, but she still stumbled back in shock as she saw Adam's masked visage step out of the shadows of a tree, crimson hair seeming to glow in the moonlight. "Hello, Blake."

The teams moved with commendable quickness, Pyrrha, the only one armed at the moment, and Yang and Ren, the best hand to hand combatants, all moving forward to cover the others.

"A-Adam…" Blake stuttered out, her gaze shaky and fearful as she looked at him.

"You know, I didn't believe it when they told me. Blake Belladona, consorting with a bunch of humans? With a Schnee, one of the worst faunus oppressors on Remnant?" Adam's grip on his weapon tightened, showing the calm rage he was experiencing. "Is that really who you left me for? Are you _trying_ to hurt me?"

"Hey, asshole, who the hell do you think you are?" Yang asked, her fists raised and ready to pound this guy's face in.

"Yang, don't!" Blake pleaded. Then she turned to Adam. "Adam, I'm not trying to do _anything_ dealing with you. I'm just trying to live my life."

"With a SCHNEE!?" Adam growled loudly. He got into a iaido stance, ready for an attacking draw. "You left me, Blake. You hurt me." His tone turned even more menacing. "Now I'm going to hurt you in turn."

Pyrrha got into a fighting stance with her eyes narrowed, Yang and Ren at her sides as the others began calling for their gear from the rocket lockers. "You aren't touching her."

Adam's response was to dash forward to attack. Pyrrha blocked his strike with her shield, immediately retaliating, eyes slightly wide at the ferocity of the attack. Adam easily took the parry on his blade, dodging backwards as Yang's fist appeared where his head had been, her eyes narrowed as she tried to hurt the person who had attempted to injure her partner.

Adam slashed at Yang, who barely dodged back, his speed with his blade greater than she expected. Ren made his appearance then, having snuck up on Adam and hit him with an aura enhanced palm strike to the back, making the bull faunus grunt before turning to slash at the teen's neck. He was intercepted by Jaune, who'd leapt forward, his shield in front, tanking the hit.

The others, now armed, surrounded Adam, wary but ready to give him a beatdown. Their opponent sheathed his blade, once again shifting into a iaido stance, ready to counter the first person to attack.

"Please, Adam, just leave…" Blake pleaded, Gambol Shroud held in a white knuckled grip.

Adam didn't say anything, simply adjusting his grip on his weapons, studying his opponents. His gaze locked onto Weiss, who was standing ready with her eyes narrowed at the terrorist. Without warning he dashed at her, drawing his blade to remove the heiress' pretty little head. Weiss stepped back, her rapier being brought up into a guarding position, just barely keeping him from decapitating her.

Ruby intervened to protect her partner, Crescent Rose whirling to rip into Adam, who managed to dodge back, parrying a strike that came especially close to cutting him open. The attack pushed him out of the circle of students, and he prepared himself to take advantage of not being surrounded. Once again sheathing his sword, he began another drawing slash to at least push Ruby back… till the moment that he was smashed in the side by a green bison that appeared out of apparently nowhere, sending him flying.

Everybody was left speechless, staring at the green animal that stood where Adam had been, looking smug. "…Wat?" Nora asked, for once being the one flabbergasted by some bit of insanity.

To their surprise, the bison suddenly changed into Beast Boy, who they had all seen around the school. He turned to look at them, a cocky smirk on his face. "Hey guys, you mind if I cut in? We've been looking for Broody McBroodPants for a while."

Yang scratched her head. "Well, you did just _charge_ in. Might as well." She smiled at Weiss' murmur of 'That wasn't even a pun'.

Beast Boy nodded as he watched Adam come rushing back in. "Good. You guys stand back. Let me show you how a professional does it."

Jaune's exclamation of 'You've got to be younger than Ruby' was ignored as Adam charged with a bellow, drawing his blade at Beast Boy, who was still grinning.

As Adam slashed, Beast Boy suddenly shifted into what appeared to be a cloud, making the terrorist stumble as he overbalanced slightly, confused. Then they realized what happened when the swarm of Japanese hornets that Beast Boy had become began stinging at Adam, making him yelp in shock. He jumped back, and the green insects shifted into a frog, which leaped at the redhead. Adam slashed again, but with another shift BB became ram, hooves pushing off the blade to increase momentum, bashing his horns into the bullish man's own. As Adam reeled back from the hit Beast Boy immediately shifted into a large silverback gorilla and slammed his fist into Adam's gut, launching him away once again.

All this had happened in a matter of seconds, leaving the teens that were watching the fight staring in shock and awe. As Beast Boy shifted back to human form, his fists up and ready for any attacks, Yang felt the need to speak up. "Holy shit."

Beast Boy chuckled, his gaze never leaving Adam. "There's a reason my code name is Beast Boy." He immediately shifted again as he saw Adam lift Blush, the sheathe/rifle portion of his weapon, and begin firing. The large tank that was the green hippopotamus Beast Boy had shifted into was taking the hits easily, the flickers of green aura showing how little effect the shots were having. If a hippo could look smug, Beast Boy did. Then he charged, his massive bulk moving with deceptive speed, a mouth capable of crushing melons with contemptuous ease without the use of aura opening cavernously wide in order to treat Adam's torso like one of said melons.

Adam immediately sheathed his blade, Wilt, before drawing it again in an attack, aiming for Beast Boy's open mouth.

Of course, he missed again, the changeling shifting into a hummingbird that flew upwards at high speed before shifting again, this time into an elephant that began to fall feet first. Adam quickly leapt out of the way as the massive animal landed with an impact that made the ground shake.

Adam was seething. He didn't know who the green boy was, but his ability to shapeshift made for an infuriatingly random fighting style, leaving Adam practically disoriented. He gripped the hilt of Wilt angrily before his gaze shifted to the teens, Blake especially. He had two choices now. Retreat from a fight he might not be able to win if the teens joined in, or try to get back at the girl that betrayed him while she was distracted by what she was seeing with the others.

It wasn't really much of a choice.

Adam suddenly dashed at Blake, already drawing his blade in order to cause grievous harm. The teens, not having realized what he was plotting since his mask had kept them from realizing he was looking at them, reacted just a hair too slowly. Yang, being right beside her partner, moved in Adam's way, determined to protect the black haired cat faunus, bringing her arms up in order to protect herself as best she could even as the others leapt into action, everyone able to see that they wouldn't make it in time despite their proximity, his attack had been so sudden.

Just as Wilt's blade was about to impact with Yang's guarding arm and from there her neck, Adam suddenly recoiled, screaming in pain as his arm was sliced off without warning by a blade that came out of seemingly nowhere. A familiar blade, attached to a wire.

As Adam fell back, blood pouring from his severed arm, the others turned to find Penny standing nearby, her arm outstretched and an uncommon expression of anger on her face. "Adam Taurus! Stay away from my friends!"

"Penny!" Ruby cheered in happiness.

Suddenly the green gorilla was back beside Adam, who hadn't noticed due to the shock of the sudden amputation and the pain that came with it. Beast Boy palmed the faunus' head with a large hand and brutally drove his face into the ground. Then he delivered a vicious punch down, driving Adam's head into the dirt and likely fracturing his skull. The bull horned young man went limp, though they could all see he was still breathing, if shallowly.

Yang fell on her ass, her knees slightly weak due to the near death experience now that the adrenaline was leaving her system, her eyes a bit wide. Blake and Ruby immediately knelt back beside her, Blake looking especially shaky. "Yang, are you alright?" Her sister asked.

Yang swallowed. "Yeah. Fine Rubes. That was just… a bit closer than usual."

"You shouldn't have done that." Blake said shakily. "I'm not worth your life, Yang."

Yang's eyes snapped to her partner before she suddenly wrapped the other girl into a hug. "Shut up, Blake. You're being an idiot."

Blake began to shake at the close encounter with her past and the possibility of losing one of the most important people in her life, wrapping her arms around the blonde like a lifeline.

Pyrrha frowned. "We should have done more than just stand around." Her voice was full of self-recrimination, considering how close they'd apparently been to losing Yang.

Jaune sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "From the looks of it we would have gotten in the green guy's way. He seemed to have it under control."

"Plus it was just weird." Nora said bluntly.

Ruby dashed over to Penny and threw her arms around her. "Thank you, Penny. I'm so glad you're alright. How did you know we needed help?"

Penny hugged Ruby back happily. "Miss Cortana downloaded an information packet explaining the situation into me, then told me I should find you and the others to make sure you were alright, just in case."

Pyrrha hesitantly approached. "Hello. I, ah, I just…" She stuttered.

Penny brightened up when she saw Pyrrha. "Are you alright, Miss Nikos? You aren't hurt or anything after that nasty trick they pulled on us, are you?"

Pyrrha swallowed but shook her head. "No. I just… I'm sorry!" She bowed, tears in her eyes. "I almost killed you!"

Penny frowned, not sure what to do in this situation, but Ruby guided her over and whispered in her ear. "It's alright, Miss Nikos. It wasn't your fault, and I'm fine." Then she scuffed her foot slightly. "I guess you know I'm not human now, though…"

"That doesn't matter." Pyrrha said. "You're obviously alive. It still would have been a death on my conscious."

Penny hesitantly reached out to touch Pyrrha, a small, happy smile on her face. "Thank you, Miss Nikos."

"Pyrrha." The redhead said firmly as Jaune stepped up beside her, a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Call me Pyrrha." Penny nodded as Ruby watched with a smile.

Blake approached Adam's body as Beast Boy finished expertly tying a tourniquet to his missing arm in order to keep him from bleeding out. "What are you going to do with him?"

BB looked up at her as he pulled out his scroll to call for assistance, eyes gentle. "He's gonna have a nice, long life in a tiny little cell." He brought his scroll to his ear. "Cortana. I've got Taurus subdued. He's going to need medical attention if we want him to survive. Get someone down here to take him off my hands, will ya? …Yeah, they're here. Yeah, I'll keep an eye on them. …Okay, I'll tell them. Later." After putting the scroll away he looked back up at Blake, who had been joined by Yang and Weiss, both giving their teammate their silent support. "The attack is completely foiled. The Grimm at the walls have been driven back thanks to the extra defenses we set up, and the White Fang in the city have been neutralized. It was pretty much bloodless, with only some injuries among the ones that wouldn't stand down."

More than one sigh of relief was released at that, and the students smiled at each other, happy that disaster had been averted.

* * *

Cinder's eyes slowly opened as consciousness returned to her. When she realized she was bound to a chair she became much more aware of her surroundings, eyes darting around frantically.

She was in a large room, the ceiling high above. Directly in front of her was some odd machinery, a couple of what looked like cryo tubes from sci-fi plainly visible. And in one of them, she could make out her target, the Fall Maiden, in a coma since Cinder attacked her and stole part of her power.

A hand suddenly appeared in front of her face, fingers snapping to draw her attention. A young man with odd markings on his face and raven hair streaked with white stood in front of her, emerald eyes narrowed as he stared down at her. Glancing to the sides she saw a large, imposing person in futuristic olive green armor standing at the ready, an odd rifle aimed unwaveringly at her head. At the boy's other side stood Ozpin, his hands on his cane as he looked down at her, looking tired.

"Do I have your attention, Cinder Fall?" The young man asked.

Cinder glared, shifting as she tested her bonds, calling on her Maiden powers to start melting the zip ties that bound her, though she immediately stopped when the giant of an armored man shifted, finger obviously curling around the trigger of his rifle in silent warning.

Instead she looked at Ozpin. "How did you know?" She asked without preamble, glowering at the silver haired man angrily.

Ozpin sighed. "I doubt the knowledge would help you, Miss Fall. However, I suppose you could call it divine intervention." The boy snorted, amused. "In any case, you are here for one reason. We are offering you one chance to, if possible, relinquish the power you stole and return it to its rightful owner. If you do so, you will live a long life in a cell."

"And if I don't?" She asked with a sneer.

"You die. Right here, right now." The tattooed boy said, speaking once again. "Those are your options. Personally I'm partial to the second option. It'll keep you from being a potential problem in the future if Salem decides to do something about you, but Ozpin thinks there's a chance to get the powers back without further bloodshed and insisted we give you a chance."

Cinder's eyes darted among the three people in front of her. "You wouldn't kill me in cold blood like that. You're the 'good guys'. The heroes."

"Heroes fight monsters, Fall." Was the reply she received. "I'm not happy about possibly having to take you out, but you just tried to murder an entire city full of people and are keeping a potentially powerful asset for our side out of play just by existing. With so many lives on the line, I can't afford to let you live just because I don't want to dirty my hands." He crossed his arms, emerald eyes hard. "What's it going to be?"

Cinder trembled in rage, her teeth gritted so hard her gums bled. Everything had gone to hell, and now she had no options. If she somehow gave up the power of the Fall Maiden, she would be weak once again, a concept she detested. She'd sworn long ago that she wouldn't be weak again. Not only that, Salem would have her killed for her failure, no matter how much security they put her behind. And Salem would make sure it wouldn't be quick.

On the other hand, if she didn't comply, these three would kill her. She wasn't strong enough to take all three on alone, a fact which added to her rage. She was outmaneuvered and outclassed, and she couldn't do anything about it.

She was the queen, yet she was the one in checkmate, and apparently had been all along.

Her gaze fell on the woman in the life support chamber, the current/previous Fall Maiden, Amber. If she could just kill Amber, finishing the job she'd begun months before, she'd have the full power of the Fall Maiden, and more than enough strength to destroy all three of her captors. If she acted quickly enough, her aura should protect her long enough to get the killing blow in.

She looked at her opponents, eyes narrowed, before she suddenly launched herself forward, the zip ties melting away in an instant from the flames she produced. She moved with all the speed she had, a blade of glass appearing in her hand from the Dust lacing her clothing. She snarled, eyes wide and bloodshot with fury… only to gasp as a gunshot rang out and she felt agony in her abdomen.

She only had a split second to realize that the bullet had somehow penetrated through her aura without even noticing it before one last shot was heard, killing her instantly as the bullet blew her brains out in a burst of gore, the last sight she ever saw being her comatose victim.

Ozpin sighed as Cinder fell to the ground, quite obviously dead. Streams of orange/red light immediately emerged from Cinder's body, streaming into Amber's form. Amber gasped, brown eyes going wide as her body tensed, the power that had been stolen from her filling her body once again.

Ozpin quickly moved over to the chamber, hitting the controls to open it. Amber groaned as the cover of the chamber slid out of the way, turning to look at the man. "Ozpin?" She croaked.

Ozpin smiled gently at her. "Welcome back, Amber."

Behind him, Harry sighed with relief. Finally, with Cinder taken out, the would be Invasion of Vale was officially over.

* * *

 ** _So… Hi?_**

 ** _Yes, it's been a while since I updated anything, but it's been due to a combination of good and bad things._**

 ** _Good thing: My family decided to go on a weeklong trip to celebrate my birthday and the last bit of freedom my parents had before work started up again (they're teachers). I obviously wasn't going to be writing much at the time. I've also had to do a bunch of stuff to get a loan for a new computer. It was approved just a couple of days ago, and the computer has been ordered._**

 ** _Bad things: I got pretty sick, so couldn't do much of anything. Then when I did write, just as I was almost finished with this chapter, my computer got wiped and I lost everything I'd written in the last four months. That bummed me out and killed my motivation._**

 ** _Another factor is the latest season of RWBY. While the lore it revealed was a big help to 'Survival of the Fittest?', it actually did the opposite to Brightest. It screwed up what I had planned to happen later in this arc. Now I'm scrambling to find some way of making everything work out to the goal I was aiming for that would lead to the next universe to visit. So that's a problem._**

 ** _There's also the fact that when I was almost done with the chapter (again) I decided to scrap almost all of it. Originally it had the actual invasion happen like in the show, Grimm Dragon and all, for an action set piece. Then I realized that didn't fit with the team's personality. They resolve issues before they can get that bad, or at the very least try to do so. Having them let an event that could kill thousands go on just doesn't work. I was shoehorning the invasion in for the sake of something cool._**

 ** _So I replaced that with what we have now. It's not my best work, but I think it'll do to keep going. Hope you all liked it._**

 ** _Despite all my delays during the last month, I do want to assure everybody that, if nothing else, I_ will _get my Patron Sponsored chapter out each month. It would take something out of the ordinary to keep me from doing so, and even then I'd give fair warning when possible. Unless I get hit by a car or something, in which case… Sorry?_**

 ** _In something more upbeat, this fic has now surpassed 1k reviews! *trumpet fanfare* Holy crap that's awesome. I never thought a fic of mine would reach such a milestone. It really helps make this all worth it. Here's to another thousand!_**

 ** _I think that's all I had to say… Please leave a review, and don't forget my Pat A Ron: dotcom /athanmortis._**

 ** _Till next time!_**

 ** _PS. I've discovered I suck at puns. D'oh._**


	33. Ruminations and Confrontations

"As impressive as the results of your actions are, Ozpin, we would have liked to be kept informed of the situation as it developed rather than find out after the fact." One of the members of the Vale Council said over the video call, a note of censure in his voice.

The Headmaster of Beacon sat calmly as he waited for the councillor to finish speaking. The council's mild displeasure was essentially meaningless, and they all knew it. After the previous night's events, Ozpin and Ironwood's positions had been strengthened immensely. Any move against either of them, even as a symbolic gesture, would not be well received by the public.

The foiled attack on the Kingdom of Vale was all that anybody spoke about. The news network was going over everything they had learned endlessly, and the message boards were full of speculation and conspiracy theories, as was usual.

The Grimm assault that occurred during the night, which was easily repelled by the (magically enhanced and reinforced) defenses left no doubt in the minds of the general populace of the seriousness of the situation. Had the defenses actually been disabled or subverted, things would have been incredibly dire. Fortunately the people were now reassured by the fact that the Heads of the Academies were so on top of things that they successfully caught the attack early and nipped it in the bud.

The event also reinforced in everybody's minds that the peace they lived in couldn't be taken for granted. A fact that Ozpin planned to use to wring as much funding as he could out of the Council. After all, their reasoning for cutting back on funding being that hunter training wasn't as necessary anymore thanks to the peace they were living in had been proven to be completely incorrect. He'd be a fool not to take full advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself.

Still, best to remain civil. "We were worried about any information leaks." Ozpin explained calmly. "James and I agreed to keep the amount of people in the know small till everything was over and done with, in order to keep our actions from being countered. We fully intended to inform you of everything relevant after everything was over. We will both be submitting reports on exactly what has been going on by the end of the week."

"Very well." Another of the councillors said as she observed him. "Do we already know what the repercussions of this event are?"

"Thankfully they are mostly positive." The councillor who had remained silent throughout the discussion chimed in. "There is some lingering fear after such a near miss and the revelation of how the people had been manipulated into bringing the Grimm down upon themselves. However, that is more than balanced out by their renewed confidence in the city's defenses and defenders. The other Kingdoms are consolidating their defences in case they are targeted as well."

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, pleased by the information being provided. The heightened state of awareness would make things harder for Salem's agents, which could only be a good thing.

"Good, good…" One of the councillors said, pleased. "On another note, where is General Ironwood, Ozpin? We had hoped to speak with him as well about what happened."

"James is currently headed to Menagerie." Ozpin said. "He left early this morning with all due haste."

One of the councillors leaned forward. "Why is the General heading there?" The mild disgust in the man's voice was missed by no one, and his fellow councillors all gave him a warning look.

Ozpin didn't let his aggravation at the man's clear racism show. "Due to the fact that a radical faction of the White Fang took part in the attempted attack, we're worried the faunus population will suffer blowback. He is hoping to try to head that off, if for no other reason than to keep the negativity of such an occurrence from growing and making things tougher due to the Grimm."

"Sensible." The female councillor said with a nod. "We wish him good luck, then. More conflict is something we need to avoid." She glanced at the others before turning back to Ozpin. "I believe that is all for now, Ozpin. We'll be waiting for that report you promised us." Without another word, the call ended.

Ozpin sighed and set his mug down, rubbing his eyes. He hadn't gotten any sleep due to having to deal with the fallout of the failed attack, and he was starting to feel it. He glanced at his computer when Cortana showed up on it. "Hello Cortana. How can I help you?"

"It's more like how can I help you. I've taken the liberty of writing the reports you promised the council for you and the General. They have everything we want them to know in the way we want them to know it. All you need to do is read through them and sign off if they're to your liking."

Ozpin smiled gratefully. "That's a great help, thank you. I'll read through them soon."

"No hurry. We need to wait a day or two before sending them so it doesn't look odd that you got it done so quickly." The AI peered at Ozpin. "You look tired, Oz. I think you need to get some sleep."

Ozpin sighed. "Far too much to do before I can do so."

"I already told Glynda to go to bed while I fill out her paperwork. I'm more than willing to do the same for you." She smiled sardonically. "It's not like it'll unduly stress my capabilities. I can get it all done in a few minutes at most."

Ozpin thought about it, feeling the siren song of his bed call to him. Finally he gave in to temptation. "Alright. Please fill out what needs to be done and I'll apply my signature to it all once I wake up."

Cortana nodded. "You got it. Rest well, Oz. Things went right for once. Savor it."

The headmaster chuckled as he stood up. "True enough. One should always take the time to appreciate when things work out." He yawned. "I'll speak to you later."

As the computer shut off behind him as he took the elevator down to his quarters, Ozpin once again found himself giving thanks to whichever god was listening for bringing his new friends into his life.

* * *

Alice stood by as the Beacon nurse checked Amber over in one of the infirmary rooms, the Maiden dressed in a simple hospital gown. The young woman was weak and lethargic after so long spent in a life support pod, and she was glancing hungrily at the tray of food she had been brought, her stomach giving an audible rumble.

Finally the nurse declared that she was in as good health as could be expected considering she'd been in a coma for months. She'd need to slowly build up her muscles again, along with eating plenty of high protein foods.

Once the nurse had left to attend to her other duties, Amber descended on the food as ravenously as she could considering how weak she was. It wasn't really all that much of a meal, but to someone who hadn't had anything fill her stomach in months it might as well be a feast.

Alice slowly approached as she watched the woman inelegantly consume her meal. "How are you feeling, Amber?"

Amber stopped eating, blushing as she realized what she was doing. She swallowed before looking up at Alice. "...Better. I'm alive and awake, so I can't really complain."

Alice smiled as she watched the Maiden resume eating at a more sedate pace now. "Well, we're happy that you're awake as well. We were reasonably sure that you would once Cinder died, but there were no guarantees."

Amber stopped eating again, eyes darkening. She reached up and felt the extensive scarring on her face that had been inflicted when Cinder had first stolen her powers, remembering what had happened when she'd awoken.

She'd been confused, scared by how weak she felt and her last memories, when she was attacked. The feeling of something important, a part of her very soul, being ripped away from her.

When she'd sat up with Ozpin's help and saw the corpse of her assailant on the floor in front of her, surrounded by a growing pool of blood, part of her felt a thrill of fear, the rest of her, relief. She'd looked up at Ozpin, still dazed and confused, and he'd reassured her that she was safe now.

She was drawn from her thoughts as she felt the other girl place a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the green eyed woman, feeling a bit of reassurance from her presence. Ozpin had been too busy dealing with the night's events to provide proper introductions, but if he trusted this girl, then Amber felt she could do the same.

"Sorry." Amber said. "Just trying to deal with… everything, you know?"

"I understand." Alice said kindly. "I know what it's like to wake up after some time has passed due to a traumatic event." At Amber's confused look she decided to explain. "My family was murdered when a man set our house on fire when I was a child. I survived by jumping out of my window onto a snowdrift, but the event left me partly catatonic. I don't remember much about that time, though I heard I had… difficulties." Alice absently rubbed her wrist, remembering the scars that had marred it.

Amber flinched. "I'm sorry."

Alice shook her head. "Don't be. It's not your fault. And neither is what Fall and her subordinates did to you. They were prepared to face a Maiden, and they'd planned it all out well. It really is lucky that Qrow was nearby to rescue you."

Amber looked down at her food, listlessly putting some in her mouth. "I still should have been able to fight them off." She said once she had swallowed. "Salem almost got her hands on a powerful asset because I wasn't strong enough."

"Like I said, you were caught off guard by people who knew how to counter you." Alice said soothingly, her hand lightly rubbing the other girl's back. "You managed to hold them off long enough for help to arrive. You should feel proud of that much, at least."

"I'm a Maiden." Amber argued stubbornly.

"That doesn't make you infallible." Alice responded kindly. "Harry, Garfield and the Chief could handle a Maiden on their own with various degrees of difficulty. Don't think that just because you have power that means that you have to be unbeatable."

Amber looked at her, brow furrowed. "Who?"

The ravenette chuckled. "You'll meet them soon enough." Then she motioned back to the food. "Now eat. You need to recover your strength. We can discuss what comes next once you're better."

Amber nodded, still melancholy but not to the extent she had been, and resumed eating as Alice sat beside her, offering silent support.

* * *

Harry sat with his legs dangling from the edge of the Beacon cliffs, watching the trees sway in the breeze. Music filled the air from his phone's speakers, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata soothing him. He'd decided he needed something other than his usual rock to help him unwind.

He was thinking about the team's next steps. They'd stopped the Fall of Vale, which made the rest of their knowledge of future events mostly useless. Arguably they could leave now and leave the rest to Ozpin and his group, now that they were in a better position than they had been. Cortana had analyzed the lance and stated that it would be ready for use in a few weeks.

He toyed with the idea of just making a random portal like he had to travel from Alice's world to Lara's, but he'd discarded it. He'd never told Beast Boy and Alice, but doing that had taken a lot out of him, and had been very unstable. He'd felt it as he'd passed through. The interdimensional portal he could make was ready to fall apart at any moment, ripping whatever was passing through to shreds.

By contrast the lance was safer. The portals it created were stable and would stay open with a minor application of will and magic. The fact that the jumps were random ever since it was damaged didn't detract from its usefulness, as Harry's own portals were just as random due to the fact that he had no idea which 'direction' his own universe was in. Thus, waiting for the lance to recharge after each jump was currently their best option. At least till they landed in a universe that had another, more reliable method of dimensional travel.

He pulled his mind from that train of thought and focused back on what was next for his group. It was tempting to just sit back and relax till the lance had finished doing its thing, spending their time training and learning. But a part of him didn't like leaving things undone, and it was that part that was telling him to go put Salem down.

Of course, he knew it wouldn't be as simple as walking into Salem's base (wherever it was located) and politely asking her to drop dead. He'd need an army to get through all the Grimm that would be in the way, not to mention her lieutenants. Which was why he was now contemplating a foolhardy idea that would probably backfire horribly. Before he could decide what to do, however, he needed to ask some questions.

Slowly he reached into his pocket, pulling out the Resurrection Stone's ring. He gazed at it thoughtfully, before slowly turning it, thinking about who he wanted to speak to and hoping it would work even though he already knew he couldn't call spirits from other universes to him when he had moved on.

The wind whistled through the trees and Sam Dillard's Yearning Hope played from his phone as he waited. His patience was rewarded when she spoke from her seat beside him, legs kicking absently as she sat at the cliff edge with him. "So, how did you know you could call me?" Teleute asked with a small smile on her lips, a black lace parasol held in slim, delicate hands, protecting her pale skin from the sun. The beautiful goth girl twirled it absently as she waited for his response, dark eyes gazing out across the Emerald Forest.

"I figured you might have some connection to the Hallows from our last meeting." Harry explained. "I think you might be a goddess associated with death, though I don't know which one. I'd need to do some research. Maybe ask Hermione. Besides, Rager told me that you helped me get in contact with him to save Cortana. That means we're still connected somehow, and the Hallows are the only objects of significance I have from our universe. Calling you with the Stone rather than the Wand or Cloak made sense to me."

Teleute's smile widened a bit, her eyes shifting to gaze at him from the corner of her eye. "Well reasoned. You could say I have some association with death, yes." She turned her gaze back towards the forest. "I was watching when you fought the demons at Stonehenge, and before you got drawn into the portal I placed a bit of myself in the Ring. I knew where it led, and I wanted to make sure I'd be able to keep watch over you. After all, even if a version of me exists in another universe, it won't be _me_ , so it seemed like the best option. If I hadn't done that we might not be able to speak right now."

"Why are you so interested in me?" Harry asked, curious. "Rager called you my patron, and you obviously came along for the impromptu interdimensional ride, but why me?"

Teleute was mostly silent for a few seconds, simply humming along to the music. Then she spoke. "Your actions in Silent Hill did draw my attention, Harry, that's true. But I'd been observing you long before then." She finally turned to look at him directly, her dark eyes gazing into his green ones. "You got so much more from your mother than you realize, Harry, not just your eyes. The gift she passed down to you is one of the reasons you survived Silent Hill."

She stopped talking for several moments before continuing. "It was my power that Lily Potter called upon to save you. Her sacrifice alone, while undoubtedly powerful, wasn't enough to save you, and she knew it. After all, other mothers had died for their children before, but that didn't stop the Avada Kedavra. So instead she called upon me, hoping that the fact that I'm… connected… to death, would help stop the Killing Curse. I could, of course, but not directly. So she channeled my power through herself, burning her magic out, in order to leave the temporary protection that shielded you from the curse on your skin. When Tom Riddle killed her, she was already dying. She had less power than a mundane human, and her organs were shutting down, but she still stood to shield you." Teleute smiled softly as she saw tears gather in Harry's eyes. "I'm sure I don't need to say it after you spoke to her in that cemetery, Harry, but never doubt Lily's love for you."

The two were silent for a minute or so after that, the goth waiting patiently for Harry to regain his composure. Finally he spoke. "Is that why I'm immune to the AK now? And what do you mean about her gift helping me survive Silent Hill?"

"In reverse order." Teleute began. "The ability to absorb and channel power comes from her bloodline. Your aunt could technically do it as well, though at a much lower capacity. It's one of the reasons she was well known for being powerful. Thanks to that, you were able to absorb the ambient energy of Silent Hill, keeping yourself going."

"As for your immunity…" She continued slowly. "Yes and no. Lily only had the time to gift you with a single 'charge' of protection. And as I said before, she burned herself out doing so because she had to channel a massive amount of power at once to do so rather than take the dozen or so hours she should have. The ability remained within you, though inactive, along with the lower key, more 'minor', for a given value of minor, protection granted by her sacrifice." She cocked her head to the side. "The power of her sacrifice is what kept the Horcrux in your scar from taking over your body as a child, by the way. It kept the soul fragment at bay, even if it couldn't completely block its influence. However, then you left Silent Hill with Samael's power as your own. And you did so while freeing the many souls trapped in that place. You were deserving of a reward, which gave me the opening I needed. I visited you in the infirmary of the Watchtower and reactivated the ability, since you now have the power required to be able to use it, and nobody could argue about me breaking the rules since I was rewarding your actions rather than doing it on a whim."

"I see…" Harry said, head spinning as he tried to process all the new information. He was going to need to set it aside and really think about it all when he had the time.

Teleute evidently thought the same. "In any case, we've gotten sidetracked. You called me up to ask me a question. So go ahead."

Harry looked at his apparent patron deity. "Is my idea feasible?"

Teleute hummed in thought as a Bach piece played from Harry's phone. "Yes, but there will be consequences. You'll be using up years of your life when you do it, depending on how many people you do it to. And despite the fact that your lifespan has been lengthened quite a bit thanks to what you took from Samael, you aren't immortal. If you do this, it'll take anywhere from fifty to a hundred years off of it. So it isn't something you can do on a whim." She leaned forward, face serious as she made sure that her words were taken with the intended severity. "And you can only do this to willing subjects. You will be utilizing the dark, malevolent power that you now wield to do it. You _cannot_ do this to anybody who doesn't want to and doesn't know the repercussions, because it _will not_ be pleasant for them. It'll be damn well tortuous." The unspoken threat in her words if he ever went against her words was blatant and couldn't possibly be missed.

Harry nodded seriously. "I know. I don't plan on doing it ever again if I can help it. But we need an edge." Then he smiled sadly. "Besides, I think they deserve the opportunity to seek justice against Salem."

Teleute studied Harry before nodding, satisfied. "Good. Though there is a… complication… when it comes to Salem."

"Complication?" Harry asked.

Teleute shook her head. "It's not my story to tell. Get Ozpin to tell you about it. Make sure you get the entire, unsanitized truth. This is important."

Harry raised an eyebrow but nodded, taking her words seriously. "Alright, I will."

Teleute smiled and sat back. "Alright. I think that's enough for today. You have a lot to think about." She looked over at him. "Call me again sometime, though. I'd enjoy talking to you some more, though maybe next time we can avoid the heavy topics."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Sure. Thanks for your help, Teleute."

Teleute winked at him with the eye tattooed with the Eye of Horus. Then she was gone.

Harry took a deep breath before shutting off his music and getting up, heading back to the school to check in on how things were going.

* * *

Blake stood hesitantly in front of a pair of heavy steel doors on board one of the Atlesian ships. She'd asked Ozpin for a favor, and he had agreed, despite showing some hesitance, though he'd added a couple of stipulations. Thus the reason why she was on one of the Atlesian ships with Beast Boy and Master Chief accompanying her.

She felt her hands tremble, her knees shaking slightly, as fear and apprehension filled her form. She couldn't bring herself to move forward, yet her legs were locked in place so she couldn't run away either.

She was so lost in her conflicting thoughts that she almost jumped out of her skin when Yang rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The blonde looked into her partner's eyes with concern. "You know you don't have to do this, Blake."

Blake took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yes, Yang, I do. I need to settle this, once and for all. I can't move forward till I put this behind me."

"Don't worry." Beast Boy said, a soft smile on his face. "Me and the Chief won't let anything happen to you. The most he'll be able to do is run his mouth a bit, and we can put him on mute if needed." Beside him, the large man in green power armor nodded, a rifle held in his hands, ready to be sued.

Blake closed her eyes and took another breath before nodding. Then she turned back to the doors and stepped forward, the heavy steel parting easily for her, the others following behind.

Inside the room they stepped in was a sturdy wall with a thick bulletproof glass window showing the inside of a cell. To the side of the window was a speaker system, which Beast Boy made his way over to as the Chief took up position in a corner of the room, his rifle up and aimed at the occupant of the cell.

Beyond the glass they could all see Adam Taurus pacing angrily. He'd been stripped of his weapons and clothing, leaving him clad in a white t-shirt and pants with some cloth slippers, the bandaged stump of his arm exposed. Nothing he could use to attack any guards was anywhere on his person or in the cell.

The most notable difference in his appearance was the fact that they'd taken his mask away. With his face now revealed, everyone could see the _SDC_ logo seared into the skin of his face, covering his damaged left eye, which was bloodshot and painful looking.

Blake's breath hitched as Adam turned angrily to glare at her through the window. Yang was at her side in an instant, hand on her shoulder once again, her own violet eyes narrowing as she glared back.

Beast Boy hit the button on the speaker just as Adam began to speak. "Are you satisfied, Blake? Is this what you were hoping for when you sided with Atlas and the Schnee? To have me caged like an animal? Well you succeeded."

"No Adam." She said, arms rising to hug herself as she shrank back at the seething hatred in the voice of the man she used to believe she loved. "You brought this on yourself. Your vendetta did this, not me."

"Liar." He snarled. "You left the White Fang. You left our cause. Because of your betrayal, now humanity is going to stomp us back into the dust."

Blake's eyes flashed. "Because of me? You just tried to murder thousands of faunus, not to mention the humans! And you're saying _I'm_ the one that betrayed our people?"

"The humans needed to be taught a lesson! They needed to learn that we're not animals!"

"Well they sure know that now! We're not animals in their eyes anymore. We're monsters! You've just killed not only the White Fang, but also any hope of equality we had!" Blake cried out, tears of frustration in her amber eyes.

"I did it for our people!" Adam snapped.

"No Adam, you didn't. You did it for revenge, plain and simple. The plight of the faunus is only an excuse, and it always has been. You proved that much last night. You not only betrayed our people, you betrayed your subordinates when you left them to get captured just to take revenge on me." Blake said, her breathing ragged now.

It was like she was truly seeing him for the first time. She'd always known him to be angry, intense, but where before she'd thought that was simple passion, now she could see it for what it was. Adam was a petty and driven by rage. He didn't care about anybody but himself and how he had been slighted.

It was hard. Hard to see the man she'd worked with, that she'd cared about, be revealed to be a monster. Some part of her had hoped he could be saved from himself, even after the train job, but now she knew that was a fool's hope.

Blake turned around, not letting him see the tears that began to flow down her cheeks. "Goodbye, Adam. We won't see each other again. I'm going to do what you always proclaimed you would, and save our people." With that she began walking away without turning back, Yang following behind her with a proud smile on her face.

"Blake, come back here! Don't walk away from me!" Adam pounded his remaining fist against the glass with a vicious snarl, not noticing the armored human shift to aim at him better. "Blake!"

Once the doors had closed behind them Yang pulled a shaking Blake into her arms. "I've got you, partner. I'm so proud of you."

Blake simply sobbed and clung to her friend, clutching her tightly. Beast Boy and Chief respectfully left them alone, leaving the blonde to comfort the other girl.

"Hopefully she can move on now." Beast Boy said lowly once they were out of even faunus eashot.

Chief nodded. "Something tells me they'll be fine as long as they have each other."

Beast Boy smiled. "Yeah. That's the joy of friendship."

* * *

 _ **I AM HERE!**_

 _ **Hey everybody. Sorry this tooks so long. As stated before, my motivation for this story has been a bit spotty due to the recent lore reveals in RWBY canon making things more difficult for me.**_

 _ **I've managed to mostly figure out what I'm doing and how this is going to end, as shown by Harry discussing his plan with Teleute. The only issue is figuring out how to get the characters from RWBY I want involved in the situation. I can't just say 'Oh, and they just happened to be there'. That wouldn't go over well, and I wouldn't find it satisfying either.**_

 _ **Because of my slight fatigue with this story I've made a decision. It'll still be updated every month, no worries, but rather than try to force myself to do two chapters a month, which I haven't been managing anyway, I'll do just the one. The other week when I would have worked on Brightest, I'll either work on another story, type out one of the many other ideas swimming in the toxic sludge that is my mind, or just take the week of writing to relax. Last thing I want is to start to feel like writing is a chore. On occasion I might do a second chapter of Brightest in a month. Depends on my motivation.**_

 _ **Now, onto the chapter itself. It's mostly the aftermath of the failed invasion. We se Ozpin speaking with the Council and Alice do her best to help Amber heal.**_

 _ **Blake's confrontation with Adam isn't perfect. I'm well aware that it feels a bit clunky. I did some reworking of it a couple of times, and I think this is up to my standards, at least for the time being. It was important for Blake to at least try to put Adam behind her.**_

 _ **The discussion between Harry and Teleute is the most consequential part of the chapter, and I went back and forth on whether to include the backstory tying Harry to Teleute, or leave it aside and simply focus on them discussing the plan.**_

 _ **The backstory is something I've been coming up with for a while now. I've seen many other fics that introduce the idea that Lily called upon some higher power to save Harry, so I felt it wouldn't be that outlandish. In the end I decided to include it because I felt that it deepened Harry and Teleute's relationship, and explained why she's his patron deity when so far I've only shown her as taking an interest in him due to Silent Hill.**_

 _ **Next chapter will be some more of the aftermath, as well as the steps towards the final endgame on Remnant. I'd say there are maybe three or four more chapters in the RWBYverse, and then we'll be moving on.**_

 _ **I think that's all that needs to be discussed…**_

 _ **Don't forget I have a Pat A Aron where each dollar you spend gives you a vote in what I write each month from a poll I put up. Just go to Pat A Ron dotcom /athanmortis. Thanks a ton.**_

 _ **Till next time.**_

 _ **Excelsior!**_


	34. Plots, Plans and Headaches

_**I usually don't start chapters with ANs, but I just want to warn that there are RWBY Volume 6 spoilers in this chapter. They're after the third line break in the actual story. Unfortunately they're necessary for the plot and will be referenced going forward. Maybe catch up with the series before you read beyond this point, eh?**_

* * *

"..."

"Yeah, I know, but considering what they did, I think I made the right choice."

"..."

"Are you saying you would rather have been scooped up like the kids that followed Cinder did and serve a couple centuries in prison? They know your semblance now, somehow. They could have kept you, even if it wouldn't have been easy."

"..."

"Hey, they gave me back my hat. I'm feeling better about this new job opportunity already!"

The guards in charge of watching Roman Torchwick glanced at each other. Ever since the short girl with bicolored hair had been brought in, the two had been having what seemed like a very one sided conversation.

The Atlesian soldiers supposed it made an odd sort of sense. Roman _really_ liked to talk, as they'd both had ample opportunity to learn. It only made sense that his partner in crime was the type that would let him endlessly run his mouth.

Neo, for her part, just looked a bit annoyed. The day before, right before she was supposed to implement her part of Cinder's plan, Roman had showed up at the location she was hiding in with a group of Atlesian troops. She'd felt more than a bit shocked, not to mention betrayed, when the redhead had told her of the deal he'd made for them, but once they both had a front row seat to Cinder's plan going down the drain she agreed that it was the best option of a dozen crappy ones.

Didn't mean she was happy, though.

Now they were having lunch together in a cell, which was surprisingly spacious. The food wasn't anything to write home about, but then, what could they expect out of the military?

Neo cocked her head and shrugged a shoulder slightly in a question which Roman, well practiced in her non-verbal signals, shrugged back to. "Meh, basic stuff. Use our skills to plug gaps in security systems, gain information on the movers and shakers of the underworld… Honestly, it's basically what you'd expect of our situation from a crime movie. Still, it's easy work, and the money isn't bad."

Another turn of the head and the raising of an eyebrow conveyed another question. "I dunno, actually." Roman turned to the guards. "Hey, either of you two know where this ship is heading?"

The guards glanced at each other again before one of them shrugged. "We're heading to Mistral. Since Cinder Fall pretended to be a student of Haven, General Ironwood wants to have any possible connections and associates investigated. That will be your first assignment. Specialist Schnee is already on her way there to speak with Headmaster Lionheart."

Roman hummed as Neo chewed on some slightly wilted salad. "Alright. I do have some contacts in Mistral. I don't suppose it'll be too difficult a job." He brightened as he turned back to his compatriot. "And hey, no more annoying little huntresses in training! I call that a win."

Neo smirked before shrugging, turning to the jello cup she was given.

* * *

The citizens of the settlement of Kuo Kuana in Menagerie watched as a shuttle flew to their port from the Atlesian ship floating above with suspicion. Atlas did not have the best track record with faunus. It had the worst, actually, and many people resented them. So when General Ironwood stepped out of the shuttle he was met by a large amount of glares.

Ironwood's guards held their rifles a bit tighter at the hostility being aimed their way, but the general had expected it and thus didn't let it bother him. Instead he began to walk towards the home of the Chieftain of the city. No one impeded his way, though more than a few looked like they wanted to do so.

When he reached the large house he found the enormous, intimidating form of Ghira Belladonna standing in front of the door, his smaller wife, Kali, at his side, both of them watching him approach. Once he'd reached them, Ironwood gave a small, respectful bow. "Chieftain, I am General James Ironwood of Atlas. I come to discuss important matters that will affect the faunus people as a whole, along with some news on your daughter, Blake." He knew that mentioning Blake would get their attention, and he was gratified to see he was right, Kali immediately taking a step forward.

"Blake? Is she alright?" The desperation in her voice was almost painful to hear, and Ironwood turned his gaze to her with a small smile as her husband placed a large hand on her slim shoulder.

"Blake is doing well. She's currently a training to be a Huntress at Beacon. May I come in so we can discuss things further?"

Kali sagged with relief, a tearful smile on her face. Ghira led his wife into the house, motioning for Ironwood to follow. The General had his guards remain outside before following the Belladonnas in. He took a seat at the table in the main room, Ghira lowering himself down on the other side as Kali prepared tea.

When the tea had been served and Ironwood had taken a sip the Chieftain finally spoke. "You say Blake is enrolled in Beacon?"

Ironwood nodded and drew his scroll out of his pocket. He pulled up the photos before passing the device to the couple, showing them a picture Cortana had given him of Team RWBY's team photo. Ruby and Yang were smiling widely, the blonde with her fists on her hips and the reaper with her hands behind her back and leaning forward slightly. Weiss stood on the right, poised and composed, yet with a small smile on her face. And on the left was Blake, hidden slightly by her partner yet also smiling softly, arms crossed across her chest.

The two feline faunus stared at the picture with laser like intensity, their eyes fixated on the daughter they hadn't seen in years. "Oh, look at her, Ghira. She's grown up so much." Kali said, her voice equal parts proud and mournful.

Ghira looked up at Ironwood. "She's happy?"

"So Ozpin tells me. Her teammates know of her previous association with the White Fang, and they have accepted her and are quite protective of her. That includes Weiss Schnee., who is on the right." Ironwood explained calmly.

The couple's eyes turned to the rest of Team RWBY, having not even seen them before, they were so focused on their daughter. Ghira's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Our Blake, friends with a Schnee? There's something I never thought would happen…" Then he looked up at Ironwood, eyes narrowed. "So, you know she was in the White Fang. She's left them?"

Ironwood nodded. "Yes. Ozpin has known since she enrolled. We have reliable information that she participated in many theft and sabotage operations as part of Adam Taurus' faction of the organization." The two Belladonna's suddenly got nervous. Ironwood smiled and proceeded to reassure them. "Both Ozpin and I have decided to ignore that as she left the Fang shortly before enrolling in Beacon. Their methods were becoming too extreme for her, and she no longer wanted part in a group that would hurt innocents. She has since helped stop several of their operations, and was one of the principal defenders of Vale during the Breach incident that recently occured. Far be it for me to dissuade a young woman who earnestly wants to change her path for a better one."

Ghira and Kali both sighed with relief at his words. Kali smiled at the General. "Thank you. That reassures us immensely. Blake always had a strong sense of justice. I'm sure she won't disappoint you."

"So am I." James said with a nod. Then his face turned serious. "Unfortunately, that brings us to the recent events that have prompted my visit. I doubt you've heard of it yet due to the fact you don't have a CCT tower of your own, but a faction of the White Fang has done something… foolish."

Ghira's eyes narrowed. "Oh?"

As Ironwood proceeded to explain the attempted attack on Vale and the role the White Fang had in it, Kali's hand rose to cover her mouth in shock while Ghira got up and began to pace agitatedly. When he reached the point where Adam personally hunted Blake down, leaving his subordinates to be captured, in order to injure or even kill her, Ghira suddenly roared and slammed a fist against a wooden pillar, denting it deeply as he breathed heavily, trying to keep himself under control.

"When I get my hands on that little…" Ghira snarled, trailing off into incoherent growls.

"He's in an Atlas cell, Mr. Belladonna, and will be for some time. He lost an arm in the incident, so his combat capabilities have been lowered significantly. He no longer poses a serious threat." Ironwood said calmly before focusing on his tea as Kali got up to soothe her husband, giving them time to come to grips with what they heard.

Once they had both calmed down and were once again seated Ghira rubbed his forehead with his fingers. "This is a disaster. Adam's foolishness has practically guaranteed the rise of greater anti-faunus sentiment. The bigots and extremists will be emboldened, and even the moderates and some sympathizers will pull away."

Ironwood set his teacup down. "That's why I'm here. Whatever the faults with Atlas in regards to the faunus people, I personally am sympathetic. We need to get ahead of this as much as possible and minimize the blowback. If you need a cynical, self involved reason for me to do this to make you feel better about my motives, the rise in racial conflict and resentment will make guarding against the Grimm more difficult."

Ghira grunted and nodded. "I see your point. What are you hoping I can do? I'm no longer the leader of the White Fang."

"I'm hoping you can convince Sienna Khan to join you in issuing a statement condemning the actions of Taurus' branch of the Fang. It will have weight if you, the more moderate, pacifistic leader, and her, the more aggressive, radical leader, both state that this was unacceptable. It wouldn't do much to curb the extremists, but it should help with the moderates." Ironwood explained. "I'm willing to give you a ride to the White Fang headquarters whenever you're ready to leave, though I would suggest giving a statement to the citizens of Kuo Kuana to assure them that I'm not taking you into custody to be shot or something before we do so."

Ghira thought about the request seriously. "I'm not sure I have the influence you think I do in order to make your idea viable."

Ironwood shook his head with a small smile. "You underestimate your importance to the faunus people. Trust me, they will listen to your words. Especially if Sienna agrees with you." Then he looked at them both and impulsively decided to sweeten the pot. "Nothing says we can't stop by Beacon before returning to Menagerie, either…"

Kali's eyes snapped to Ironwood's hopefully before she turned a pleading gaze to Ghira. The large man folded like a house of cards. "Alright. Let me come up with a speech I can give to the citizens to explain what happened and why I'm leaving temporarily."

Ironwood nodded agreeably. "I would say to take your time, but the sooner you can speak with Sienna the better." Ghira grunted in agreement and Ironwood thought for a moment before speaking again. "I also have some items to offer you. I'm hoping they'll be seen as a gesture of good faith between the Kingdom of Atlas and Menagerie, and perhaps some form of reparations."

Kali raised an eyebrow. "What would those be?"

The general leaned forward, elbows on the table and fingers interlaced. "We've recently had a few advances in technology thanks to a very gifted individual I won't be naming for security reasons." He said. "One of the things we're prototyping is a cheaper yet more effective CCT system. Once it completes testing by Atlas R&D, I'm willing to provide one to Menagerie, free of cost."

Ghira's eyes lit up. "That would be very useful. News reaches us slowly here, mostly from word of mouth of the the traders that come. If we had our own CCT connection we could become more involved in the world."

"Not to mention there are many people here who have families in the kingdoms that don't get to speak to them except via letters." Kali added with a smile. "Just for that the faunus people would be very grateful." Then she frowned. "Won't the Atlas Council argue against it, though? They always have before, using cost as an excuse, and this latest incident will just give them more motivation to stop it."

James smiled softly, his eyes hard. "I hold two seats on the council, and after the events in Vale public support is behind me, not to mention the military. They won't fight me on this. It'd be stupid. And if necessary I can add in the idea that being able to keep better tabs on the public of Menagerie through social media will help us keep a lookout for more extremists." He took a sip of the tea Kali had refilled. "You _will_ be getting your CCT, most likely within half a year."

Ghira's eyebrows were raised. "You know, there are those that say you have too much power in Atlas. They may be right, but…" He shrugged. "As long as that power is used to help and not hurt, I have no true reason to complain."

"Trust me, if I go too far, I have no doubt there are many people who would be happy to bring me down if necessary." Ironwood said sardonically, Glynda and Qrow at the top of that list. "In any case, there are other things I have to offer." He leaned forward, eyes dancing almost maliciously. "How would you like to break Jacques Schnee's stranglehold on energy, at least in Menagerie?"

Kali and Ghira glanced at each other before the Belladonna matriarch gave the general a smile that displayed far too many teeth. "Go on…"

* * *

Harry silently sat back, eyes closed as he tried to keep his developing headache under control.

Beast Boy, who was seated in Ozpin's office along with the rest of the team, wasn't quite as restrained. "Well great. Just fucking perfect." He growled. "Salem is freaking immortal because she pissed of some gods and they're punishing her. Screw the rest of the world who are getting their butts handed to them because of their stupidity, they have to teach that bitch a lesson she's never going to learn." He proceeded to get up, walk to a wall, and bang his head against it.

Lara sighed, looking just as pained as Harry felt. "Such is the way of most gods. Impulsive, childish and uncaring of the consequences of their actions."

Harry thought back on the story they'd forced Ozpin, who now sat looking miserable and drawn behind his desk, to tell them.

Essentially, Ozpin had been reincarnating into the bodies of various people throughout history in order to stop his old lover, Salem, who was immortal because, back during his first life, when magic was common, she angered the gods of Remnant by trying to trick them into bringing her love back from the dead when he died of an illness. They wanted to teach her a lesson about hubris, and in retaliation she tricked the humans of the time into thinking they could defeat the gods and take their powers for themselves. When the humans attacked the gods, the God of Darkness wiped out every single person in the world except for Salem as his elder brother, the God of Light, looked on.

Honestly, just thinking further about the sheer stupidity of the deities and the situation itself made Harry's headache that much worse. Unfortunately, as Lara had just said, the situation was pretty par for the course when it came to the divine. Especially as, since then, Salem took control of the Grimm the God of Darkness created and began to be a gigantic pain in the ass to everyone to live in the time since in what amounted to the mother of all tantrums.

There was more to the story, some of it quite tragic in regards to Ozpin himself, but those were the salient points and the ones Harry was focusing on.

"So, we can't kill her unless we have some sort of divine magic?" Alice asked before shaking her head despairingly. "Honestly, things can never be simple, can they?"

"Salem is after these relics the gods left behind that you've hidden in the academies and can only be accessed by the maidens, correct?" The Chief asked Ozpin, his face as serious as ever. At the man's tired nod he became pensive. "What is her end goal with them, then?"

"I think it's an elaborate suicide attempt." Cortana said from Ozpin's desk computer. "The gods said that if the relics were brought together when humanity has learned acceptance and harmony with each other, they'll grant them the ability to use magic again. But if they haven't, the gods will destroy humanity again, along with Remnant itself." She reminded them. "The people obviously aren't united and working together, what with the issues with the faunus and other such things. So Salem probably hopes she can finally die along with the rest of the world if she brings the relics together now. The attack on Vale might have even been intended to divide the kingdoms further, making it more unlikely they'll join together before she can kill herself." She shook her virtual head. "All she wants to do is die. It's pretty sad, when you think about it."

Beast Boy stopped bonking his head against the wall. "What do we do, then? I mean, we obviously have to clean up the gods' mess, because it's kind of our jam, but do we have any actual way of doing it?"

Harry finally spoke, opening his eyes. "If we can't kill Salem, we can at least try to incapacitate her and buy humanity some breathing room so Oz can work on bringing them together. It doesn't matter if she's immortal, she won't be able to act if I bury her a mile or two underground. Sure, her Grimm might eventually get her out, but it'll take a long time." He looked at Ozpin. "If we buy you time you should be able to make some progress, at least."

Ozpin closed his eyes thoughtfully. "Yes, incapacitating Salem will take some of the pressure off…"

Alice was the first to catch onto Ozpin's hesitance. "You still love her, so the thought of her being trapped the way Harry is suggesting doesn't sit well with you." She said softly.

Ozpin sighed. "It is foolish, I know, after what she's done, what she's become." His gaze hardened. "However, I cannot put her life above those of every other person on Remnant. It is what began our feud to begin with." He looked at Harry. "Do what you must."

Harry nodded, however Chief cut in. "We're going to need a plan to reach Salem in her stronghold." He said. "The amount of enemies will be too much for the five of us alone."

The leader of the team showed his teeth, eyes hard. "Oh, I have an idea…"

"And that would be?" Lara asked, arms crossed.

Harry told them, and his amusement at their shock eased his headache.

"You're insane, dude…" Beast Boy said, staring at him with a frightened sort of awe.

Harry chuckled darkly. "Yep."

* * *

 _ **And done!**_

 _ **A bit shorter than usual, but I got the main points dealt with.**_

 _ **We're nearing the end of the RWBY arc, and just today I had a brainwave on how to get the characters in position to act. I just need to hammer a few things out and I'll be ready to move on to the next universe.**_

 _ **Of course, there's more happening on Remnant I could go into, and I have some ideas for more short pieces to set things up. They aren't exactly**_ **necessary,** _**but they give a sense of completeness to things. Don't want to seem like I'm rushing things and leaving plot threads hanging. I'll probably do one more chapter like this before we head off to confront Salem. ...Maybe two. Depends on how many ideas I have.**_

 _ **I know some people won't be happy that I'm focusing that much on RWBY when Tomb Raider, Alice and Halo were dealt with relatively quickly, however there wasn't actually much to do in those universes. Trust me, this isn't the only universe that's going to get a lot of screen time. There are going to be universes that are going to have a lot of focus and time spent on them simply because there's so much happening and to do.**_

 _ **For example, do you think a certain space opera is going to to be done in five chapters? Oh no, it's going to be loooong.**_

 _ **And the last universe I have planned… Whew, that's going to be a freaking doozy, I tell ya.**_

 _ **Point is, I'm going to be doing deep dives into more than a few universes, some of which you might not care for or be interested in. I apologize if those universes aren't to your liking, but they are to mine, and that's why they're being included. This is, in the end, about what I enjoy writing about. You all are along for the ride, and as much as I appreciate your support, in the end it's my way or the highway.**_

 _ **Anyway, didn't want to seem confrontational, but I felt the need to put my foot down since I've gotten a few PMs telling me RWBY is boring and to get on with it.**_

 _ **I can't think of anything else that needs to be said. Don't forget my Pat A Ron, where you can support my writing. It's dotcom /athanmortis. You get a vote on what I update with each dollar donated.**_

 _ **Till next time.**_


	35. Roses

Ruby was humming to herself as she walked back from doing some target practice near the edge of the Emerald Forest.

True, Beacon had shooting ranges for students to use to keep their skills sharp, but she preferred to do it in the woods, firing at targets she'd hung on the trees. It reminded her of training in the woods around her home back in Patch.

She heard voices nearby, hidden by some trees and shrubbery, which caught her attention as it was very rare for anybody to be in the area for almost any reason. In fact, the only person she'd seen in the last month was Harry.

Then she blushed as it occurred to her that it might be a couple of people looking for someplace to be alone. Yang might like to delude herself that her little sister had no concept of sex, but Ruby was fifteen, not five.

She had been given The Talk by Uncle Qrow before her dad had realized what happened, and some things just couldn't be repressed.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? It'll be literal torture, and you've earned a break. You don't have to do this if you don't want to. Nobody is forcing you." The male voice said.

Ruby frowned, worried and curious. That didn't sound good. Were they going to do something dangerous? Her cheeks slightly pink Ruby crept forward, using all of her (minimal) sneaking skills, as the other person, a woman, responded.

"Considering what you plan to do, how could I say no? It's everything I dedicated my life to." Ruby began to peek around a tree, being as quiet as she could be. Whatever she expected, however, it wasn't what she saw, and she froze, eyes wide and face pale as the woman finished what she was saying. "Besides, I would do anything for them."

Ruby let out a whimper of shock and hurt, but by the time the people who had been talking had turned to look, only a few rose petals lay on the ground to show anybody had been there.

* * *

The door to Team RWBY's dorm room slammed open as a blur of red dashed in, stopping in the middle of the room as the other three occupants looked over, Weiss preparing a small tirade about rushing about and slamming doors. The words stopped before a sound was uttered as she took in her leader's face. "Ruby?"

Ruby was pale and shaking, her silver eyes wide and tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked like she was having trouble breathing, and she appeared dazed.

Yang was instantly on alert, removing her earbuds as she swung her feet around to sit on her bed rather than lay on it, Blake setting her book aside on the bunk below her. "Ruby, what's wrong?"

Ruby took several deep breaths, appearing to try to catch her breath. Her corgi Zwei approached his mistress, looking up at her worriedly. Finally all strength seemed to leave the girl and she dropped to the carpeted floor, wrapping her arms around the dog, which proceeded to lick her face, trying to comfort her as best he could.

"What's going on?" Jaune said as he appeared in the doorway, the rest of his team behind him, all of them looking concerned after hearing the bang of the door slamming open and the state Ruby was in.

"Indeed, I would like to know as well." Penny said as she peered in over his shoulder, making the boy yelp at her sudden appearance. "I saw Ruby rush through and she didn't return my greeting. That was very unlike her, so I wanted to see if she was okay."

"We don't know." Weiss said as Yang hopped down from her bunk, kneeling in front of her sister.

"Rubes, what's wrong?" The blonde asked softly, prompting the crying girl to finally look up at her. "Ruby?"

"W-why?" Ruby asked softly, sounding so young and so fragile that Yang couldn't help but wrap her arms around her.

"Why what, Ruby?" She asked softly as everybody watched respectfully.

"Why did they lie to us?" She said, he voice cracking at the end.

Yang glanced at the other teens in the room, all of them looking as confused as she was. "Ruby, what are you talking about? What was who lying about?"

Ruby looked up at her sister, opening her mouth, but no sound escaped. The look in her eyes scared Yang. She'd never seen Ruby look like that.

Suddenly the reaper stood up, making Zwei jump back in surprise with a small bark. "I… I need to see Professor Ozpin!" She blurted out before rushing back out of the room, scattering her friends.

"Ruby, wait!" Weiss called out, but the girl was gone.

* * *

Ozpin was gazing out the window of his office when Glynda strode in. "They've left, then?" She asked the ancient man in front of her.

He took a sip of his coffee. "Yes. At full speed they should be quite a ways away by now."

"I'm surprised James simply let them have a full warship for their journey to the Land of Darkness. Yes, it will probably be necessary to get them close enough considering the concentration of powerful Grimm, but that's still an asset that's basically about to be written off." She said.

"It helps that Cortana can run the ship on her own without need of crew, so he's not risking any lives on this." Ozpin said calmly. "And he agrees that the opportunity to incapacitate Salem, if not eliminate her completely, is well worth the risk." Then he smiled and chuckled slightly. "Harry did say that we may not see them again, however. Apparently they have developed a habit of jumping out of danger to a completely new world at the last second like an action movie. I think he was joking, though. There's no reason he can't more easily create a portal back to Vale once the job is done."

Glynda hummed in thought. "Do you really think they can do it?"

Ozpin considered the question seriously. "Considering Harry's plan, and his own, not inconsiderable power, not to mention his team… I'd say they have a very good chance." He sighed. "We may finally have a chance to make some headway in improving things…"

Glynda was about to respond when the door to the elevator opened and Ruby rushed into the office. The look on her face caught both teachers' attention, and they turned their gaze to her with concern. "Miss Rose? What's wrong?"

Ruby didn't look like she knew what to say, apparently having rushed in without thinking that far ahead. Finally she blurted out the first thing to come to mind. "I need to talk to Harry. Could you call him here?"

Ozpin let an eyebrow rise. "I'm afraid Mister Potter is not available and won't be for a while. He's just headed out of the kingdom on assignment on an Atlesian warship and we don't know when he or his team will return. What is it you need to speak to him about, Miss Rose? I can see if I can answer any questions or pass along a message."

Ruby considered it and began opening her mouth when she froze, an agonized look on her face. "I… I can't."

Ozpin blinked. "Why not?"

"I… I don't know if I can trust you." The girl replied in a trembling voice.

"Miss Rose!" Glynda gasped, surprised.

Ruby flinched slightly, but her face became resolute. "I'm sorry, but no. I need to talk to Harry first." Then, before either teacher could reply, she left the room, her stride serious and intent.

Glynda glanced at her boss, concerned. "Ozpin, what was that about?"

"I have no idea, Glynda, but I believe Miss Rose has once again displayed her ability to end up in the center of things without meaning to." He moved to his and took a seat, steepling his hands in front of his face. "I think we need to keep an eye on her."

Glynda bit her lip worriedly, wondering what had occurred now that things were finally going their way.

* * *

Yang was pacing anxiously in RWBY's dorm, her friends talking throughout the room, looking worried as well, Penny standing still in the corner, her eyes darting around, Zwei at her feet.

"Yang, have you ever seen Ruby like that before?" Jaune asked seriously, brows knitted in worry.

The blonde shook her head forcefully, her long hair swishing to and fro as she did. "No. Ruby can get anxious or freak out about weird things, but something like that… I can't even imagine what would cause it. Maybe dad or Uncle Qrow getting hurt, but…" She was interrupted Ruby walked back into the room, tear tracts still on her face but looking more serious and focused. "Ruby, what happened!"

Said girl gave her sister a glance before focusing her gaze on Penny. "Penny, an Atlesian warship just left Vale. Can you tell me where it went?"

As the other teens looked at each other, baffled, as Penny looked confused. "No, but I could find out."

Ruby bit her lip. "Can you fly a bullhead?" She asked next, not seeming to notice the others look more alarmed to go with their confusion.

"Of course." Penny said promptly. "Why?"

"I need you to fly me after that warship. I need to talk to the person on it." She said quickly. "We'll commandeer one of the school bullheads reserved to taking people to Vale."

"Ruby!" Weiss gasped, shocked. "What's gotten into you?"

Penny looked unsure. "I… I don't know…"

"Please Penny…" Ruby pleaded. "This is important. It's probably the most important thing I'll ever ask you."

Yang rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Alright Rubes, that's enough. I'm with Weiss-cream. What's gotten into you? What's so important that you're going to freaking steal a school bullhead?"

Ruby looked at the blonde, biting her lip before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the bathroom. Yang allowed herself to be led, still looking worried about the young reaper.

Everybody watched in consternation as Ruby closed the door. A few seconds of murmured whispering passed. They all jumped, however, when Yang let out an explosive sounding "WHAT!?" After another minute of soft voices even Blake couldn't make out, the door opened and the girls walked out, Yang now looking as determined as her sister. The bombshell was the one to address Penny now. "Can you please take us to the warship, Penny?"

Weiss gaped at the sudden about face, while Blake brought her fingers to the bridge of her nose, looking like she was coming down with a headache.

Ren was the one to try to be the voice of reason. "Wouldn't it be easier to have Penny send the warship a message to whoever you need to talk to?"

Ruby immediately shook her head, looking at the boy. "No. I need to confront them directly. I can't let them just blow us off. This is way too important."

"How important, Ruby?" Jaune asked, looking concerned.

Ruby's hands clenched as she closed her eyes, looking so pained Jaune was about to apologize for asking when she opened her eyes. "This… If what I saw was real… I'll do anything, Jaune. I'll give up being a huntress and leave Beacon, as long as it gives me a chance to confirm it."

There was more than one gasp at that, all of them knowing that being a huntress was at the very core of who Ruby was. To say this was more important than that…

"What is it?" Pyrrha asked quietly.

Ruby bit her lip. "You'll think I'm crazy."

"Try us." Weiss said icily, obviously thinking that whatever it was couldn't be worth what Ruby was planning on doing.

Ruby glanced at Yang, who shrugged, before turning to look back at her friends, realizing for the first time since she'd first burst into the room how worried everybody was. Then she took a deep breath and told them.

There was a stunned silence, everybody staring at her in shock, unable to believe what they'd heard. Even Zwei looked poleaxed. Finally Weiss spoke. "Ruby… You can't have seen what you think you saw…" The hesitant way she spoke the words told them all how worried she was for her leader.

"I know it's insane, Weiss, but I saw it! I _heard_ it!" Ruby took another deep breath. "I _need_ to find out the truth. And I can't ask Ozpin. If they lied to us, then he's involved." She shook her head. "No. I need to confront Harry directly, where he can't avoid the question by hanging up on me or something."

Penny finally caved. "Okay Ruby, I'll take you."

Ruby whirled around, smiling widely, dashing in to give the android a hug. "Thank you so much, Penny!"

"Great!" Nora said with a manic grin on her face. "When do we leave?"

"Huh?" Yang asked in surprise, closely mirrored by Ruby.

Jaune ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. "You can't expect us to just let you do something this crazy on your own, can you?"

"Yeah!" Nora exclaimed again as Ren sighed in resignation and Pyrrha smiled lightly.

"They're right." Blake said softly. "We're a team, guys. We stick together."

Weiss groaned and closed her eyes as if in pain before nodding in agreement. "Yes. You dunces would probably end up messing this up somehow if we let you go on your own."

Ruby shared a glance with her softly smiling sister before giving her friends a grateful smile of her own. "Thanks guys…"

* * *

"Hi!" Nora chirped to the startled bullhead pilot, Ren at her side and aiming Stormflower at the hapless woman. "We're going to be taking this bullhead out for a spin."

"...Huh?" The pilot said in response.

Ten minutes later Teams RWBY and JNPR were settling in on the airship, Penny sitting in the pilot's seat and doing pre-flight checks. Even Zwei had hopped on, sitting in the corner and prompting Blake to sit as far from him as possible.

"Alright, we ready?" Ruby asked as she took the copilot's seat next to Penny.

"Yep." The ginger android said as she flipped a last switch.

"And you found out where the warship was headed?" The reaper asked again.

"Only the general direction." Penny said apologetically. "They didn't provide an actual flight plan with a destination included."

"Okay. We'll just have to hope they didn't change course on the way to wherever they were going."

The bullhead lifted up off the ground before turning and heading west-northwest. Penny was careful to send the appropriate codes and authorizations to the surrounding Atlas warships, which were still on alert after the attempted attack, but everyone was extremely tense till Vale was no longer visible, which allowed them to finally relax.

"Welp, if we aren't expelled outright, I wonder how long we'll be in detention for?" Jaune asked.

"I say a year!" Nora said.

"I imagine our punishment will be quite extensive." Pyrrha said as she sat back against the wall, leaning slightly against Jaune.

"You guys didn't have to come." Yang said as she fiddled with her gauntlets.

Weiss gave an aristocratic sniff while petting Zwei. "Too late to say that now. We're committed."

"Mm-hmm…" Blake put in from behind the book she'd brought along.

Hours passed, and the teens did what they could to alleviate the inevitable boredom that came with long travel, especially as they could not stay tense the entire time. Thankfully they'd (meaning Ren and Blake) had the foresight to bring food along, so no one went hungry.

Jaune was about to take a bite of his sandwich during their meal when the radio suddenly burst into life with the sound of a supremely pissed off woman, making him yelp and drop his food.

"Penny Polendina!" The voice roared, making most of those in the bullhead wince, Zwei whining and curling up against Ruby. "I expected better of you!"

"Miss Cortana!" Penny cried. "I, um, ah…"

"You stole a bullhead, and came out after us with nothing but a couple of teams of students! You're lucky you didn't run into the Grimm we're currently fighting, or you'd be dead!" Cortana thundered, making Penny whimper. "What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

"It was… important?" Penny asked sheepishly.

Ruby cut in. "It's my fault, miss. I need to talk to Harry."

"We gathered as much." Cortana said drily, no longer screaming. "Why, exactly, couldn't you wait for us to return to Vale? Or have Ozpin send us a message?"

"I… I didn't want him to lie or avoid me." Ruby said, fists clenched on her skirt.

Cortana sighed. "Well, you're here now. Come to us and we'll discuss whatever it is before we send you back home. Penny, I'm sending you our coordinates." The radio went dead as one of the screens changed to show them where to go.

The teens were silent a bit longer before Yang spoke. "Soo… Think she's angry?" More than one person let out a sigh in response.

"Oh my." Penny said about fifteen minutes later as Ruby gasped from the copilot's seat.

They could see the Atlesian warship now, and it was surrounded by flying Grimm that were being held off by the guns. Any that touched the hull bounced back, a flash of light appearing wherever they had impacted.

However, what had caught their attention was the massive Sea Feilong, a serpentine sea monster Grimm with the ability to fly and fire bolts of electricity from its mouth. The beast flew around the ship, attacking as best it could while dodging the attacks and tanking the shots it couldn't avoid.

Jaune, who was behind them and looking out the window with the others, gulped. "Well, she was right. If that had attacked us, we'd be so far beyond dead it wouldn't even be funny."

"How do we dock on the warship?" Pyrrha asked with concern. "We'll be torn apart if we get too close."

"We'll be giving you a window to get through the swarm, but you're going to need to do something first." Cortana suddenly said from the radio. "Mr. Ren, are you able to use your semblance to hide the entire bullhead from the Grimm's detection?"

Team RWBY and Penny were confused, but Jaune and Pyrrha turned to look at their teammate, who was shaking his head along with Nora. "No ma'am. I can mask one or two people at a time, but it takes a lot out of me."

"I see. Well then, we'll just need to give you a boost." Cortana said. "Mr. Arc, you're going to be using your semblance to boost Mr. Ren's."

Jaune was incredibly confused. "But… I don't know what my semblance is."

"I do." Cortana said, sounding amused. "Your semblance, Mr. Arc, is the ability to amplify a person's aura, either your own or someone else's. You can make them heal faster and keep them alive if they're in critical condition, and boost their semblance by giving them more aura to work with. If you boost Mr. Ren, he'll be able to mask the entire bullhead from being detected by the Grimm."

Jaune's eyes were wide as everyone looked at him. "That's… impressive." Weiss allowed.

"How do you know this?" Blake asked, confused.

"We can discuss that later. Are you ready to try to boost Mr. Ren, Mr. Arc?" Cortana asked.

Jaune glanced at Ren, who nodded agreeably. "Alright, how do I do this?"

"You need to be touching the person you intend to amplify. The next part is just speculation. Focus on your aura, then make it flow into your target. Perhaps think about what you want to have boosted."

Jaune hesitantly put his hand on Ren's shoulder as everybody else watched somewhat anxiously. When Ren nodded once again, he closed his eyes and did what Cortana had said.

Everybody saw Jaune begin to glow, and after half a minute or so the white light began to flow into Ren, who's eyes went wide as a gasp escaped his mouth.

"Ren?" Nora asked worriedly.

"I'm fine, Nora." Ren said somewhat shakily. "I just feel like I'm… overflowing…"

"Good, it seems it's working then. Proceed to mask the bullhead and head into the hangar we're opening for you." Cortana said as more instructions appeared on the bullhead's screens.

Ren quickly knelt on the floor, Jaune's hand still on his shoulder, and placed his palms on the cold metal. The others watched as color seemed to be leeched out of their surroundings, themselves included. They also felt themselves become calm, their anxiety to and apprehension being muted.

Seeing that everything was working Penny began their approach on the warship, eyes focused on the bullhead hangar she could see opening up, two figures standing inside of it and firing at the Grimm that were trying to use the opportunity to get into the ship. As they approached they could make out that one of them was a large man in green armor holding an enormous minigun, firing with discipline and experience at the Grimm and shredding them to ribbons. The other person was Lara, a strange rifle in her hands which she used to great effect in order to pick off whatever her companion didn't kill.

The teens all watched from inside the bullhead as they passed through the cloud of Grimm surrounding the ship with ease, the monsters ignoring them like they weren't there. Soon enough they landed inside of the hangar, who's doors promptly began to close. One they shut Ren released his semblance, color returning back to their surroundings as they all blinked when they felt their emotions go back to normal. "Whoa, that was…" Yang said before stopping, apparently not finding the words to describe the sensation.

Jaune took his hand off Ren's shoulder and stopped channeling his aura, both of them taking deep breaths. The blonde then looked at his hand in awe. "Finally…"

Pyrrha gave Jaune a hug. "I'm happy for you, Jaune."

"Yeah!" Ruby said with a smile. "That was so cool." Her eyes lit up. "Ooh, what do you think my semblance would be like if you amplified it?" She began to daydream about going so fast nobody could even see her, Grimm falling apart seemingly on their own.

There was a hard knock against the door of the bullhead. "Are you going to come out?" A strong voice asked.

They all looked at each other before Penny pressed the button to open the door, getting up to join her friends as the inside of the hangar was revealed, including the only other occupants.

Lara rested her hands on her hips, eyeing the teens with displeasure. "Well, this is a fine mess you've caused. Glynda is already preparing your punishments. Ozpin was forced to remind her that they aren't allowed to cause you any lasting harm."

They all cringed, looking more than slightly frightened at the news that their strict teacher was angry with them. "I just…" Ruby began before continuing a bit more quietly when the attention of Lara and the green armored man turned to her. "I need to talk to Harry…"

"So you've said." The archeologist sighed. "Fine then. Come along and we'll get this done before we send you off back to Beacon to face your punishment." She turned and began to walk.

The students all glanced at each other before following behind, Zwei happily trotting along with his mistresses, tail wagging.

They reached the bridge of the ship to find the other members of Harry's team there. The students flinched when the Sea Feilong rammed its head into the glass of the bridge's windows, surprisingly not doing any damage.

Harry turned away from the view to look at them all, his hands behind his back and an eyebrow raised. "So… You've pissed off and worried a lot of people, guys."

Beast Boy, who was sitting off to the side with a portable video game console, gave them a glance. "You're going to be in detention till you graduate."

Alice leaned on one of the duty stations scattered around the bridge, the screen showing Cortana's serious face. "I trust you had a good reason for this little bit of insanity?"

The teens all looked at Ruby, who hesitated before stepping forward, Yang following a step behind, her hand on her sister's shoulder. The reaper then looked at Harry in the eye. "...I saw you in the forest earlier, Harry…"

Harry gazed seriously at the girl before letting out an explosive sigh. "Yeah, I thought that might be it… Honestly, in that case I don't really blame you. I'd do the same if I saw something similar without knowing what it meant."

Weiss looked surprised. "Wait, so she really saw what she thought she saw?"

"...In a manner of speaking…" He said slowly.

Yang stepped forward, eyes full of desperation. "Where is she?"

Harry hesitated, glancing at all his friends, each of which either nodded or shrugged. Then he reached down and fiddled with a ring on his finger none of the teens had noticed before. He turned it three times, and suddenly there was someone standing in front of Ruby and Yang, who's breath caught.

The figure wore a hooded cloak much like Ruby's except it was white on the outside with red underneath, the hood up and obscuring the figure's face. The figure proceeded to lift slim hands up to remov the hood, revealing the spitting image of Ruby were she a bit older, with kind silver eyes and similar hair done in a half-up/half-down style. She smiled lovingly at the two tearful girls as everybody else in the bridge remained respectfully silent.

"M-mom?" Ruby asked shakily, tears streaming down her cheeks, Yang's hand on her shoulder vicelike as the blonde let out a shuddering breath that was almost a sob.

"Oh Ruby, Yang…" Summer Rose said, her own eyes shimmering with loving tears. "My baby girls. You've grown so much. I'm so, so proud of you both…"

* * *

 _ **I think that's a good enough place to leave it.**_

 _ **I'm going to assume that most of you guessed Summer would be showing up from the beginning, but I still wanted to preserve what mystery there was to be had. Hope I did a good enough job at it.**_

 _ **So, we're entering the home stretch of our time in Remnant. We'll probably end up in our next universe at the end of the next chapter, unless it ends up being longer than I expect, which could easily happen.**_

 _ **I decided not to go too much more into the aftermath of the invasion cause I couldn't think of enough small events to justify an entire chapter of them. I might go into it in the future, but that'll be a loooooong time from now.**_

 _ **Speaking of something else, I'm curious as to what a TVTropes page for this fic would look like. (hint hint)**_

 _ **Now then, we're not done just yet! I've come up with an omake that I've been thinking of for a while now but seems to be perfectly timed thanks to a certain movie release. This is**_ **not** _**canon, however if I get enough positive feedback on it I'm considering changing that and making it into a proper chapter of its own to make the character in it part of the team. So please let me know your opinion on that, whether yea or nay, in a review.**_

 _ **Please enjoy.**_

* * *

 **Omake: Baba Yaga**

The rain was pouring down on the streets of Manhattan as night fell, the people walking through under umbrellas as they tried to keep from getting soaked.

Through this downpour ran a man in a damaged, bloody suit, a brown bull terrier keeping pace with him at his side. The man had a neat beard on his slim, handsome face, which was marred by several small wounds and scratches. His dark brown eyes darted around as he kept track of everyone that passed him.

He glanced down at his watch, seeing the minute hand ticking passed the forty minute mark. Due to his distraction he bumped into somebody walking in the opposite direction. "Sorry." He muttered, about to continue running.

"No problem, Mr. Wick." The person he'd bumped into said in a British accent. "I realize you're in a bit of a hurry. I hope you can take a moment to talk, though. I'll make it worth your while."

John Wick froze before turning to see a teen with messy black hair and bright green eyes standing there. He wore a long black coat that reached his knees which seemed to made of some sort of odd leather, a white shirt, and some simple yet sturdy jeans. He was looking at John with a small smile, green eyes intense.

John was experienced enough in the ways of the world that he didn't discount the young man as a threat simply because of his age. "The hour isn't up." He said simply.

"I'm not affiliated with the Continental or the High Table, Mr. Wick, even though I'm aware of them. I'm actually hoping to screw them over by helping you survive this little mess you've made. Are you willing to hear me out?" The teen said calmly, still smiling.

John hesitated and considered his options. He could take a chance with this kid, or he could go on with his original plan and keep heading to the New York Public Library to grab his 'ticket'.

He glanced down at his dog, who looked back up at him from where he sat at his feet. Finally he his gaze turned back to his prospective benefactor. "Fine."

The teen's smile widened. "Excellent. Follow me, please." He turned and headed down a side street, his pace unhurried, John following along behind him.

A couple of minutes later the two had taken a seat inside of a small, warm cafe. The waitress had initially refused to let the dog in, but the kid handed her a couple of hundreds to allow it just that once. John and his new companion had just placed their orders when the teen leaned forward on his elbows, looking at John seriously. "Alright, a bit of information on me so you know why I want to help you. My name is Harry. And I'm not normal." He glanced to the side as a couple of people took a seat at a table near theirs and lifted his hand, waving his fingers oddly.

"What do you mean?" John asked as he rubbed his hands, taking the chance to warm himself up.

Harry picked up one of the napkins from the holder and waved it slightly before setting it on the table. Then he waved his fingers again and the napkin suddenly transformed into a small replica of the dog sitting at their feet lapping at some water. John jerked back in shock, eyes wide as the small dog began to scratch itself right there on table.

"Wha-?" He looked around to see what the other patrons' reactions were, but nobody even glanced in their direction, the waitress seating some more people the most activity in the room..

"Relax, Mr. Wick. I set up a field around us to keep anything odd from being noticed." Harry said with a small smile. "As far as they're concerned we're just having a light conversation about travel destinations that would be nice to visit."

John stared at the tiny dog, which let out a yawn, and reached down to pick it up, making it squirm in his grasp. It felt real, like an actual dog in miniature. He looked up at Harry, confused. "What are you?"

"I'm your ticket to a hopefully long, fulfilling life free of the world you tried so hard to get out of." Harry said with a smile. Then he reached over and plucked the dog out of his grasp, turning it back into a napkin as the waitress came over with their drinks.

"I'm sorry about the wait." The girl said with a smile as she set the coffee down. "More patrons than usual trying to get out of the rain."

"No problem." Harry said with a smile, taking a sip of his caramel mocha. "This is great, thanks." She gave them another smile before turning to attend other customers, prompting Harry to turn back to John.

"How do you intend to do that?" John asked once she left, taking a sip of his black coffee..

Harry sat back, cracking his neck. "If you know anything about comic books or sci-fi, then you've heard about the multiverse, right?"

"Something like that… My wife liked Doctor Who." John said softly, feeling a pang in his heart at the reminder.

Harry looked at him sympathetically. "Right. Well then, essentially, me and my friends have gotten lost through the multiverse. We've been travelling from universe to universe, looking for our home, or something that will let us choose our destination, since we're travelling randomly. All of us have some sort of power or ability, so while we're in a universe we try to help the locals." He took another sip of coffee. "Say we wind up in a universe where Earth is being invaded by aliens, for example. We'll usually throw ourselves in to fight."

"So you want to recruit me?" John asked, catching on.

Harry nodded agreeably. "Yes. You're incredibly skilled, and we have the ability to give you a power of your own to boost your combat capability. This power is called 'Aura' and it enhances your abilities, gives you a sort of forcefield that protects you from a certain amount of damage, and carries the possibility of unlocking some skill or ability unique to you."

"What do I get in return other than this 'aura'?" John asked, part of him not believing what was happening, sure he was going nuts but unable to deny what he'd already experienced.

"You get away from the High Table, not needing to live in fear. And as we travel, if you find a world that you like and want to live the rest of your days in, we'd part ways amicably, giving you some resources to make your way with."

John sipped his coffee, thinking furiously. It sounded too good to be true. Finally, after a couple of minutes and a check of his watch he spoke again. "I'll need another demonstration of your abilities. Something more substantial."

The minute hand above the register of the cafe reached twelve as Harry nodded. "That can be arranged." He said with a smile and hard eyes over the sound of multiple chairs scraping against the floor. Then he launched himself at the closest man in the cafe, who was pulling a pistol out from under his coat, his hands emitting darkness as his hair ganed white streaks and black markings appeared on his skin. John followed suit against another.

Mayhem followed.


End file.
